Warped and Wicked (SYOC)
by Monty's Cloudy Day
Summary: Approximately sixty years have passed since the fall of the Symbol of Peace, Midoriya Izuku, as well as the Symbol of Evil, Shigaraki Tomura. In this new world, the concept of heroes and villains are dead and a thing of the past, leading to society becoming complacent. A price that they'll pay for dearly, as several organizations have arisen to take control. (SYOC CLOSED)
1. The Dogs Among Us - I

**Hewwo! :3 Me is Monty, and it be a pleasure to meet your acquaintance! Form is up on my profile, but here's the good stuff that'll help you get started down below!**

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_**Chapter 0 - The Dogs Among Us**_

"_Excuse me, sir, if I may, what exactly do you plan to do about all of this?"_

_The wondrous view of Osaka, Japan could be seen through a pair of placid, steel-colored eyes, which peered from a large office window displaying the bustling and modernized streets below. The citizens appeared small and insignificant, almost as if they were a horde of ants while they went about their everyday lives. It amazed him, honestly. Knowing that they could simply pretend that everything was okay, even when it seemed like danger was imminently waiting with every passing second. It was truly a testament to how utterly… __**desensitized **__they seemed to be with everything that's happened over the past few years. _

"_Sir? Excuse me, sir_? _Could I get your attention please, sir? This is a very urgent matter that I believe we need to discuss!" Repeatedly, a feminine voice echoed within the office space, alerting the man from his slight daydream before he casted a cold eye to who was responsible. _

_The woman in question, a blonde lady that looked to be somewhere within her mid-twenties, stood in place and shivered nervously as she avoided eye contact with the domineering male. "I—I apologize, I didn't mean to speak so loudly! If you're busy now, I'm sure it can wait, I wouldn't want to disturb you. Th-Then if you'll excuse me—"_

_Hearing the questionings of his secretary quickly morph into an almost insufferable train of mumbles and apologies caused the man to suppress an exasperated sigh before walking backwards and lowering himself into an office chair. Softly pushing strands of his dark-grey hair away from his vision, the man silently observed the woman with a look of indifference and tranquility, quietly waiting for the woman to eventually run out of steam… which normally wasn't very often, but he was nothing if not patient. _

"_I'm sure you have a lot of things you have to do too, this entire office has been in a frenzy all day. I know I've been receiving complaint calls for weeks about all of the things that need to be fixed—I've only had this job for seven or eight months, you know? I honestly don't even know what I'm doing anymore, other than being stressed, I'm losing sleep, and—oh God, was my daughter's piano recital scheduled for today? Wait, that's not what I was saying! I just meant, after everything that happened in Kanazawa, everything has been so hectic, and I don't even know what we're going to do about all of this, and I was hoping that we would be able to discuss that today for the public's peace of mind—"_

_Okay, so maybe today would be the one day where he'd have to actually intervene, the man thought._

"_I mean, if we're looking at the casualty count alone, the public is already threatening to riot or stage a large-scaled protest if we don't get something done soon, and—"_

"_Tsuji," Finally, the man raised his right hand suddenly whilst massaging the temples of his cranium with his left hand, signaling for the perturbed woman to cease her excessive rambling. His voice was firm yet gentle, powerful but laced with concern and understanding. All of the words that planned to spill from the secretary's mouth were caught within her throat, as her bright amber eyes widened in surprise and slight embarrassment. "Please… take a deep breath and relax. I understand that you are stressed, and this has reminded me to give you a vacation as soon as possible… but things are okay now. I am handling the situation as fast as I can."_

_Tsuji merely stared at her employer with an expression of worry and confusion for a brief second, still riddled with anxiety and fear as she nervously scratched her blonde bun. "I… I know, I have faith in you, sir, but I'm just… I don't know, I've been hearing this for a couple of weeks now, and you never really elaborate on what you mean, so I'm stuck in this constant state of wondering and—" _

_Realizing that she was on the verge of another rambling session, Tsuji sighed before lowering her head as if shameful of her actions. "I don't __**want **__to question you, sir, but… I'm just… I'm your secretary, isn't it my job to know what you're planning so that I may assist you in anyway I can? What's with all of the secrecy, sir…?" _

_The man listened to the blonde woman attentively, keeping eye contact to ensure her that he was completely focused and percipient (though the tiniest smirk could be seen on his face when he noticed the red hue on the woman's cheeks and how she subtly averted her gaze shyly). Nodding to himself, the man reached his right and left arm outwards and rolled both sleeves of his white-collared shirt before grasping his coffee cup and standing up once again. This time, he motioned for Tsuji to stand next to him, to which the skittish blonde quickly complied as the two of them admired the view of the city together. _

"_Now… Tsuji, I completely understand your concerns and honestly, I apologize for how… evasive I've been in regards to what I've been preparing with the rest of my cabinet," The man paused briefly to taste the distinct bitterness of his caffeinated beverage, observing the ripples within the darkened beverage before looking towards his secretary once more. "But… It's for a good cause, I promise. I didn't want __**anyone **__outside of my inner circle to know about this since this could end up being disastrous if word gets out to the public and was relayed to the sources of our problems." _

_Tsuji eyed the mountainous man several times before staring downwards and fiddling with her well-manicured fingers, twisting her lips in bewilderment from the man's words. "Well… I suppose that I understand the necessity to withhold confidential information from the general masses, but what exactly __**are **__we covering for, sir? That's where most of my... disconcertion lies…"_

_Finishing his coffee, the man placed his ceramic mug upon his desk. He sucked his teeth softly afterwards. "Let me ask you a question, Tsuji… What are some of the worst criminal organizations that we have on file at this moment?" _

"_Ehh?" The blonde blinked rapidly for several seconds before finally regaining her composure and stuttering out a response. "Well, s-sir, I'm afraid that we'd be here all day if I tried to list all of them… I mean, I could if that's what you want, but I'll have to have someone take over at the desk for me. Otherwise, I think I'm going to come back to a ton of angry voicemails—"_

"_Heh, please Tsuji, not all of them." The man humorously reassured, chuckling at his secretary's antics. "The ones that actually __**matter**__, please? The biggest threats to our cause and what we hope to achieve. Who are the ones that come to your mind?" _

"_Oh!" Tsuji couldn't help but cover her face once she realized what he meant. God, how was she so good at making a fool of herself in front of him, she wondered? "Well… if we're going by numbers and power, I'd say… The Ayashiki Empire… Hai-Hai Syndicate…. That… overly religious cult, The Kichijōten…. Let me see, what else is there…? Oh! And the Black Cats! I think? I got them all right, didn't I? Those were the biggest threats, last time I checked—"_

"_You're right on the money, don't even worry about it, Tsuji." A tantalizing shiver was sent down the spine of the blonde woman when she felt her superior's calloused hands unlocking her bun and letting her long, golden-colored hair flow freely, completely turning her fair skin red as a result. "Now… What if I told you that I have succeeded in finding a solution to all of those little pests and problems? A full-proof way for us to turn the country of Japan around and restore peace to our society once more?"_

_Tsuji found herself recovering from her sheepish state and looking up to the male with widened eyes. Did she hear him correctly? A solution? Did he mean a temporary counteragent to the increasing influence of the criminal organizations? Or did he really mean an actually __**permanent **__solution? _

_Leaning more into his tender and soft touch, Tsuji carefully questioned the man once more. "Wait… so… sir, are you saying that you've found a way to… officially disband all of the gangs for good?" She tilted her head towards the male in question, her amber eyes somehow sparkling at the realization of what the man had meant. "But… how? We've had several meetings with them all, and we've even made lucrative offers to the leaders themselves, but nothing seems to have worked… not to mention the fact that they shamelessly disregard all of the newer laws we've established..." _

_However, all the man did in return was offer a confident smile and remove his hand from the woman's luscious locks, causing her to subtly pout for a split-second. "Do you remember the White Knight project from several years back? The one that existed underneath the rule of the last prime minister?"_

_Tsuji stood quietly in thought for a few seconds, pondering on the familiarity of the name. "Yes… I do, sir. However, I was also informed that the project was scrapped rather early on due to a lack of cooperation from the gangs and because of a lack of public support. Due to its utter failure and being outnumbered by the rest of the criminal groups, the resistance mainly disbanded… but from my understanding, there are a few remaining members attempting to fruitlessly rebuild their efforts…" Tsuji paused for a brief second to gaze into the steel-colored eyes of her superior. "Why do you ask, sir?" _

'_Adorable…' the man thought to himself as he stared into his secretary's eyes, taking note of the fact that they almost rivaled the radiance of the sun. He then turned away from her to admire the view of the city once more. "I need you to find and reopen those files for me is all. We're giving the project another shot." _

'_What…?!' The blonde-haired woman appeared skeptical at first, twisting her lips before offering a response. "Are you… sure that this is a good idea, sir? It wasn't much of a success last time, and in my humble opinion, I can't see why… it would be beneficial for us to pursue these plans for a second time… Plus, wouldn't funding be an issue as well—!?" _

"_It'll work." The sudden finality and utter power within the man's voice silenced Tsuji immediately, as she stood frozen in place. She could feel the tension within the room tightening the air around her, while a powerful and imposing atmosphere emanated from the Prime Minister. She couldn't help but swallow loudly, quivering because of the fact that she could practically __**feel **__how strong of a person he truly was. "We've made several important changes to the imminent project… ones that will ensure its success. We've also enlisted someone as an overseer for the project, and they'll set things in the right direction, without a shadow of a doubt."_

'_He's so… serious….' If one were to look closely enough, they would have faintly seen a dribble of saliva cascading from the blonde's mouth as she stared in awe and amazement. Tsuji found herself completely enticed by the staggering conviction within the words of the Prime Minister, but she finally came to her senses and realized that she'd been staring for too long. Hastily, she wiped her lips quickly and shook her head to clear the far-from-pure thoughts within her consciousness. 'Wait, what am I doing?! Not here, Tsuji and not now, we're here on business! Business!' _

"_I see, sir!" Tsuji fanned herself before responding. She could feel every inch of her body heating up gradually and did as much as she could to not call attention to it. "Um, if I could, may I ask __**who **__you've chosen as an overseer? The last one was far too inexperienced and rather naive from what I've heard, so… I'm curious about the newest candidate!" _

_The resplendent aura radiating from the tall, imposing male evaporated smoothly before he dug into his pockets for his cellular device. For a few moments,Tsuji hesitantly observed the man as he scrolled through various images until he settled on a final picture. Taking several seconds to gaze upon it, the man presented the device to Tsuji, who nervously grasped the phone lightly with her nimble fingers. Her blonde eyes then locked onto the photo and a loud gasp escaped past her lips. "Sir… it's… is that—?"_

"_It's exactly who you think it is, Tsuji." Tsuji looked up to see the man neatly adjusting his tie with one hand while quietly looking upon the riveting cityscape. The sun was beginning it's descent along the outskirts, signalling that the day was slowly reaching its end. Sure enough, the streets of Osaka were gradually becoming more vivacious and thronging, as dazzling neon lights illuminated in almost every sector of the city cramped with towering buildings. _

_It was at this time of the day that trouble slowly crept from the shadows of every streetway and corner, ready to wreak havoc and pray upon the weak and defenseless. "I'll need you to schedule a meeting for this upcoming week. We've got a lot of matters to discuss, and the overseer in question will be a special guest."_

_Tsuji vigorously nodded her head, "Right, sir! I'll get to it as soon as possible! Right now, in fact!" And with that, the blonde bowed respectfully before turning on her heels and making a beeline for the exit._

"_Actually, Tsuji?" _

_The blonde paused immediately, slowly turning her head to look at the backside of the man with an inkling of worry upon her face. "Y-Yes sir?"_

"_You should… probably take a rest for the day. You seem exhausted. Also, yes, I do believe that young Chie's piano lessons are today. Tell her I said hello, by the way, okay?" _

_The man flashed Tsuji a warm, charismatic smile, which almost made Tsuji melt in one instant before she fanned her face with her hands and nodded shyly. "R-Right! Thank you for the reminder, sir!" and with that, she briskly closed the door behind herself, leaving the Prime Minister all to himself._

"_She really is adorable…" The man smirked to himself, shaking his head as he heard the sounds of her bumbling about outside of his door. Things were much … livelier while she was around. She hadn't been at the building for even a full year yet, and she was already the best secretary he'd had so far. Tsuji was the epitome of a hard worker. Plus, she was cute, which was an added bonus. _

_He sighed to himself, preparing for a long night of paperwork. He had to make sure that everything was in order before things were officially greenlit. However, unbeknownst to him, a shadow was present within the corners, shifting sneakingly in place before it creeped into the darkest crevices of the room and disappeared without a trace. _

* * *

"So… you're telling me that the government is planning an inevitable crackdown that'll supposedly dismantle all of us?"

The large room was almost completely devoid of light, only being illuminated by the small screen of a laptop placed in front of a young, well-dressed girl with midnight-colored hair that flowed past her shoulders. Her honey-colored eyes gazed questioningly at a male within the room, who lazily leaned against a large shelf behind her while examining his fingernails causally.

"Yup! At least that's pretty much the gist of everything I've heard from them, but I could be wrong though… I think I might've had a random nap in the corner for a bit, it got kinda boring just watching the guy act all grand and important in his office by himself, blergh..." His hands slinked within the pockets of his leather jacket and pulled out a piece of gum, unraveling the wrapping and tossing it within his mouth before chewing happily, delighted with the delectable mix of fruity flavors. "Oh, hell, this is pretty damn good, want some, Kunni?"

Kunniya merely looked at the boy for a few moments, holding a deadpan expression as he held a piece of confection in front of her. "No. No, I'm not really in the mood for candy right now, Kurotsuki. I'm too busy trying to digest the fact that you're acting like this isn't a big deal."

"Myeh," The man merely shrugged his shoulders as he loudly chewed on the candy before responding. "It's fine, we'll handle it as we go along, kaay~? I'll take care of it, eventually—"

"No!" Abruptly, she stood upwards slamming her fist unto the desk, causing Kurotsuki to immediately swallow his gum and stare at her in bewilderment. "No, you aren't! Then again, why would you?! You're hardly ever here, and I'm always the one that has to handle all of the busy stuff, aren't I?! We're possibly on our way to being purged, and you're acting as if this is going to be little more than a minor inconvenience!" Kunniya then frowned deeply, a tinge of sadness visible within her eyes. "Like honestly, Kuro, do you even care about Black Cat and what it represents?! What **we **built together!? We're supposed to be a team here, you know…?"

Though slightly startled, Kurotsuki recovered swiftly before reaching over and poking Kunniya's nose softly, quickly moving it away before she could swat it. "Of course I do, Kunni, who do you think I am?" moving from his spot behind Kunnya, he casually sat atop of her desk, making sure to carefully remove her paperwork and set it to the side. "Slow and steady always wins the race, that's what they say, right? Plus, sure, I'm gone a lot, but I also come back with some pretty good information, do I noooot~?"

Kunniya frowned in exasperation at Kurotsuki, not even making an attempt to hide her annoyance. The fact that he was basically right didn't sit well with her at all. And that **smile**… that smug and conceited smile that he always had on his face. It always made her want to strangle him.

Still… she couldn't help but love it, even if it was just a bit. She'd never tell him that to his face though.

"Hmph. I suppose you're right…" Kunniya huffed, eliciting a snicker from Kurotsuki. He could never get enough of that tsundere-esque attitude of hers. "Sooooo… when do you plan on telling the others?"

Kurotsuki blinked, "Eh? I have to tell them?"

In the next moment, the man swiftly morphed into a shadow and sailed along the floors to avoid a stapler blitzing through the air at a dangerous speed before impacting the walls. He gulped as he saw the damage; the collision was destructive enough to leave a fractured crater within the wall. Had she always had that good of a throwing arm, he wondered?

"Of course you have to tell them, you baka!" Kunniya stood once again, harshly gripping the hardest thing she could find at a short moment's notice and readying for another throw. "I don't know about you, but I'm not too keen on having these maniacs throw another tantrum like last time because **you **wanted to withhold information! Of course you have to tell them!"

Kurotsuki's head peeked outwards from the shadows briefly, angering the girl even more with his classic Cheshire cat-like smirk. "Ehhhh, but last time was a lot of fun though, right?"

Once again, his head traversed into the darkness, this time evading a full-blown cinder block that clashed against the shelves.

Where did she find it? He'd never know, but he was just glad that he hadn't felt it.

Kunniya fumed angrily, "Shut the hell up, they fucking destroyed Kanagawa, you dolt!"

"Okay, so what part of that isn't fun, exactly? I'm confused~?" Deciding that it would be for the best if he didn't show his face, Kurotsuki, in his shadowed form strutted around the room in an animated fashion, playfully finger-gunning towards Kunniya while doing so. "Jeez, what's the big idea, Kunni?! Are you getting soft on meeee~?"

"I think a better question would be if you have any sort of empathy or remorse inside of that body of yours…" Kunniya winced once she realized the damage she had done to her office space. This had been the fifth week in a row that she'd lost her temper, and she silently scolded herself before bringing her attention back to Kurotsuki.

"Pfft, of course not, in case you haven't noticed, I'm a gang leader?" Seeing that his friend had lost most of her steam, the male was tangible once more, whistling at the decimated shelf behind the girl. "I mean, seriously. What else did you expect?"

"No," Kunniya sighed heavily, running her hands against her face and pulling downwards, lightly stretching her facial skin as a result. "You're just an asshole… a total asshole."

"That's fair!" Kurotsuki beamed, "But… do you… mind getting that meet-up—"

"No."

"But—"

"**No**. I'm too busy with all of the other shit that I have to do, if I have to get on the phone with any of them, my skeleton will rip through my fucking skin. No, this is something that _**you **_will have to do this time. Have some damn responsibility for once."

Kurotsuki pouted, "Well… I'm still the leader, you know! Insubordination against a higher-ranking member leads to expulsion from the organization or death!"

Kunniya rolled her eyes before turning towards her laptop without a care in the world. "You didn't even write those rules, nor did you create any of them. I did. Plus, I figured that me constantly trying to bludgeon you to death would give you a preeeetty good idea that I could give two shits about that rule or any of the others. They don't apply to me."

Playfully, Kurotsuki placed his hands on either side of his slender waist. "Oh really~? And just who decided that?"

"I decided it, baka, because I don't know if you noticed, but **I'm** practically the damn leader, for fuck sakes." Her slender fingers loudly typed at an expeditious pace. A habit that Kurotsuki had noticed for Kunnya whenever she was irritated.

"Aw good, then if you're the leader, I guess I'll be making my way out, and you'll get right on to calling up the guys, cool?" Kunniya's eyes widened in a cartoonish fashion, but before she could respond, Kurotsuki shifted into the corners of the unilluminated room and slid underneath the crack of the door leading into the room, vanishing without a trace. "Cool!" his calm, equanimous voice could be heard from the other side of the threshold before his footsteps followed. "Oh, and Micchi's hungry, so you should find him when you get the chance and have some lunch with the little guy!"

For the first time since Kurotsuki entered the room, the enclosed space was abnormally quiet.

Kunniya was officially alone as she stared at the door for a few seconds, her eyes twitching rapidly as she held an almost crazed smile upon her face. The girl then giggled softly, lifting her cellphone and practically **punching **in numbers before pressing it against her ear.

'_Ahhhh, if the government or any of these lunatics don't kill you first, Kuro-kun… I will. As always, I am left to do everything myself! Great!'_

* * *

"Demi-kuuuun! oh where, oh where has my little Iron Man gone!?"

The hallways of the estate were ostentatious and garish, enclosed with large walls painted in a bright pink color. Several rows of chandeliers alighted the spacious foyer, as light footsteps echoed throughout the interior, growing in volume with every passing minute.

Artwork adorned the high walls of the mansion, portraying various images that added to the colorful nature of the manor, which she could never help but admire whenever she walked through the home. She couldn't take all of the credit for such a wondrous paradise, however.

'_All of this… every single bit of this is thanks to my wonderful babies!~'_ A pair of magenta-colored eyes shone brightly with traces of adoration and excitement while gazing across the enclosure. Two twintails matched their color as they swayed freely along with a feminine figure's movements.

These twintails belonged to a rather small and dainty-looking young woman with an incredibly youthful appearance. She looked to be no older than at least fifteen-years old as she snaked a single digit into one of her twintails and twisted lightly.

'_Mooooou, Demi-kun, where are yoooou, this is like, the gazillionth time that I've lost you! And I know every inch of this place, so you'd better not be hiding from me!'_ She had continuously asked many of the inhabitants/members within the mansion for the whereabouts of one of her most crucial lieutenants, yet came up short with every answer. Her lips pouted in minor sadness and annoyance at the disappearance of her precious right-hand.

And **exactly **as the girl was about to give up, the room shook violently, causing her to cease her trekking as the rooftop of the mansion caved in explosively, exposing the moonlight from the outside. Detritus fell from the roof and descended upon the marble flooring between the girl's feet, who had no issues dodging the debris.

Sounds reminiscent of a jet filled her ears, and her eyes widened and nearly sparkled as a result. She couldn't hold back the affectionate coo that erupted from her throat as a azure-blue, metallic figure lowered themselves upon the floors of the mansion, leaving scorch marks during their descent towards the ground from the blazing fires beneath their feet. '_There he is! Oh, just wait until he gets that silly little helmet off of him!"_

"Tsubara-senpai, I am soooo sorry, please forgive me for all of this damage! I-I was trying to have a safer landing outside of the manor, but I think that there was an EMP disturbance from somewhere else, and it affected the trajectory of my landing—"

Tsubara had officially tuned everything that the boy had been saying out and moved to tackle him at the very moment that he took his helmet off. "Demi-kuuuun! Oh, where were you?!" Tsubara stared directly into the large, sky-blue eyes of a younger boy with unruly ultramarine hair before affectionately rubbing her plush cheeks against his, provoking him to squirm embarrassingly in the girl's tight embrace. "I was worried sick, you stupid boy! Don't even worry about the ceiling, I'll just use my Quirk to fix it!"

Demiji could practically feel the warmth emitting from his porcelain skin once he heard sounds of laughter and giggling surrounding him. From the corners of his vision, the boy could see several other members of the gang admiring the sight of their leader doting on him like she did with so many of the rest of them. "Uh, senpai, everyone is looking…!"

"Hm?!" Tsubara stopped suddenly, tilting her head at the young teen before looking around and noticing the crowd around them. "Ah, do you guys want a group hug tooooo?! C'mon and dogpile me and Demi-kun, guys!"

Demiji gulped heavily, "Wait, please, let me reactivate my suit—!"

"Nope!" Tsubara shouted, "Give us the old Hai-Hai spirit!"

"_**Hai-Hai!**_" the group said in union before all of them charged forward, flopping downwards on both Tsubara and Demiji and burying them in an endless sea of exotic hair colors. Demiji let out an admittedly girlish scream, feeling the weight of the team slowly press against his body and squeeze the life out of him. It didn't help that Tsubara was still latched to him as tightly as a koala and laughed cheerfully while feeling the members fight for a chance to push through to hug her. "Ahhhhhh! I love you guys sooo much!"

"_**TSUBARA-SENPAI, THERE IS A CALLER ON THE LINE FOR YOU**_**!"**

Without warning, a thunderous vibration burst through the vicinity as a powerful shockwave brutally knocked nearly every member away with ease. Most members slammed against several parts of the walls, which surprisingly withstood the powerful blowback.

In the midst of the chaos, Demiji grasped Tsubara and secured his leader before shifting into his armor once more and standing upwards as best as he could. Though his body was sent backwards, skidding across the marble floors of the estate, he made sure that Tsubara was well-protected from the blast by carefully shielding her away from the impact.

Suddenly, as quickly as the disturbance came, it ended just as fast. Demiji was luckily unscathed and so was his leader, but a loud ringing was present within both of their ears. The noise created a feverish headache that ravaged their heads before it eased away and allowed them peace and quiet. After a few moments, Tsubara found herself ready to speak as she was still being carried by Demiji in a bridal-style fashion.

"Yes, Junko-chan~? Is something the matter?" Demiji sweatdropped at the fact that Tsubara still sounded so calm and cheerful… as if **any **of this was normal.

"I-I-I'm sorry," the once powerful and almost otherworldly voice from before was now a mere memory as a tiny girl with short, red hair could be seen at the ends of the now slightly dilapidated hallways. She was dressed in a red-skinned, dragon-styled bodysuit while twisting in place with a device strapped around her throat that held an attachment that was reminiscent of a megaphone.

It honestly amazed Tsubara that such a dainty girl could go from sounding meek and soft to the exact opposite in an instant. But that's why she's such an important member after all.

"Uh… I didn't mean to use my Quirk, but you guys couldn't hear me. I-I'll clean this mess up—"

"No, no, don't you worry about a thing, Junko-chan!" Demiji felt Tsubara effortlessly slither out of his grip before making a swift dash towards Junko, evading plies of offscourings and debris while doing so.

Once she reached Junko, Tsubara rapidly gifted her with kisses across both sides of her cheeks, immediately turning the girl into a nervous wreck. "Now, come on! Who's this person that's on the phone for meeee~? Are they the people that are still on my case for Kanazawa?! Let me see the phone so I can politely tell them to kiss my—"

"Nonono, senpai, it's the leader of the Black Cats, she wants to speak to you about something very urgent!" Junko squealed softly, covering her face with her small hands in an attempt to hide her blushed state. "At least, it kind of sounds like… like it's pretty urgent."

"Oh?" Tsubara squinted her eyes, visibly wary. The last time they called her for something, she ended up having to play as the peacekeeper between two other leaders. On that same day, Kanagawa was dismantled, and she went from being the voice of reason to a huge reason for the chaos. It wasn't her fault, she figured. They should've made an effort to not drag her precious members into the crossfire. "What could Kunniya want this time? I know it's not Kurotsuki, that… weenie doesn't actually lead or run anything."

Junko then uncovered her face and sheepishly passed the cellphone to Tsubara before making her way out of the room and disappearing into the spacious home. Tsubara felt minor annoyance bubbling within her body as she stared impassively at the device. Finally, she blew a raspberry before placing the phone beside her ear. "Hai-Haaaaai, this is Nishimoto Tsubara speaking, how may I help ya~!?"

"Nishimoto, it's me, we need to arrange another meeting."

Tsubara could feel a vein within her head comically twitch. One sentence in, and she was already contemplating the idea of hanging up on the girl. "Why, hello Kunni-chan, it's nice to hear from you too!"

She heard a sigh on the other end as Demiji came into her view, arching his eyebrows in curiosity. Covering the mic of the phone, Tsubara whispered to him that it was the Black Cats and before she could even finish her confirmation properly, Demiji exaggeratedly rolled his eyes, inciting a small giggle from the Hai-Hai leader.

"Look, I know that… the last meeting wasn't exactly productive, but you'll want to be here this time. I _promise_." Though doubtful, the level of sincerity and slight fear within Kunniya's voice wasn't lost on Tsubara. "Look, I can't talk about it over the phone, but please, I need you to be there with the rest of the guys in our usual spot."

Tsubara giggled sarcastically, "Correct me if I'm wrong on this, but the usual spot was _destroyed_, was it not~?"

There was a small pause on the other end of the phone before Kunniya spoke once more, "R-Right… I'll see to it that we have a new spot soon, but once I have it, be there, Nishimoto… please."

Tsubara pouted. She couldn't figure out _what _was so important that she had to take time away from her members in exchange for the presence of three of the most irritating people she'd ever met in her life. Regardless, she knew that if Kunniya was the one to call, it was at least a bit worrying, if only a little.

Heroes, perhaps? Then again, they were a thing of the past, so Tsubara didn't even want to entertain such a thought. A new street gang? That certainly wasn't an issue, especially considering the fact that _nobody _was dumb enough to try and take them on.

So what _was _it, exactly?

She saw no other alternative. Tsubara blew a raspberry once again before finally voicing her decision to the girl on the other end of the line. "Sure thing, Kunni-chan. I'll say right here and right now though, If you're expecting me to play as the peacekeeper like last time, there will be none of that, okay?"

A darkened shadow was then casted over her face, and the sudden aura surrounding the once bright and smiling girl was egregious and borderline satanic as she spoke low and darkly.

"**And if another one of my members are hurt in the crossfire of another tantrum again? I will spare **_**nobody, **_**is that understood**?"

"...Heh…" Kunniya lightly chuckled, though Tsubara could tell that it was more of a forced chuckle as opposed to actual amusement. "That's… that's completely fair, Nishimoto. I'll text you the new location in a bit."

Just as quickly as the aura engulfing the leader came, it dissipated. Tsubara hummed in agreement before hanging up the call and releasing a loud groan of annoyance. She then tuned and draped herself over Demiji in a sudden hug, prompting the boy to falter in his stance and stumble lightly.

Before long, other members made their way towards the two of them. Most of them were both disoriented and disheveled as a result of the previous carnage. "Demiji, my little Iron Man, I need you to get Kiki and some of the others to come with me. We have another _meeting _to attend with our oh-so-annoying friends from the other side."

Demiji and the others then frowned before yelling in unison. "**Again**!?"

Tsubara only pouted, snuggling into the scruff of Demiji's neck and taking in his light blueberry scent.

"_**Again…**_"

* * *

How unbelievably _bothersome. _

She softly ran her gracile hands through her amaranthine-colored hair, looking distastefully at the scroll within her hand. She was irritated, both by the interruption of her skin treatment session because of one of her subordinates and also by the name attached to the message sent to her. What right did they have to try and convince her to set foot within the same room as those non-believers? More specifically, why did _he _have to be there?

She tightened the ropes surrounding her rose-colored kimono, wanting to make sure that she was decent enough before stepping out of her sauna. The house inhabiting the room was very much traditional in Japanese culture. The tatami mat flooring of the home was pleasant to her bare feet as the woman briefly admired the religious statues decorating the halls.

There were two guards on either side of her, one of which she entrusted with her life if the time depended on it. Her posture was graceful, and she held a beauty that rivaled that of an angel. She was fully aware of it, of course, and the reassurance that she got from her subordinates only served to remind her of the fact.

All of what she had, everything given to her. It was thanks to her lord and savior, to whom she was _incredibly _grateful for choosing her to be the holy messenger.

She breathed inwardly, embracing the natural aroma of the house which filled her nostrils with such a gratifying scent that it was much too enriching to ignore. The air was always so _pure_ and _free_. It never reeked of sin and unholiness, much like the streets of the more populated areas in the urban areas. It was a shame that she had to leave, really. Especially since a certain someone's stench would completely kill her mood in the very minute she'd set foot in whatever pitiful, germ-infested building was chosen for this next convocation.

As she made her way down the hallways, she found herself to be charmed by the actions of her fellow disciples, offering small headpats as a reward to those that bowed as she walked past them.

Before long, one of her bodyguards opened a sliding door leading to the outdoors, and she found herself bathing in the coolness of the outside air, as the sun washed over her and made her vibrant, fair skin shine softly. Light pink petals from the cherry blossom trees surrounding her sanctum blew within the winter breeze, almost as if they were performing a dance. Forest and greenery was all that occupied her space, which was exactly how she preferred it.

She slipped her feet into two pairs of sandals and enjoyed the calming silence of her abode. Her messengers presented themselves, bowing on their knees and faithfully waited for her to express any sort of command.

"Watashi-kun," her voice was light and airy, sounding serene and gentle much like the winds blowing through her long, wavy hair. Her eyesight was keen enough to see goosebumps cover the skin of her followers' body, showing that they were listening to her closely. "I would like to request that you accompany me to a gathering and act as my guardian in case of a potential ambush. As for the rest of you, I would like for you to stand alert and watch out for any unsavory souls, am I clear?"

A man clad in shining, golden-plated armor with yellowish hair bowed lower and nodded in confirmation. "Yes, Kichijōten-sama. It would be my honor… I would follow you until the very ends of the earth if it's Kami-sama's wishes."

Kichijōten rewarded her subordinate with a small smile, satisfied with his response. "Very well… then I'd love your company. The… _Empire's _rat of a leader will be there, and I fear that this might possibly end in violence once more, so I'd appreciate it if you kept me from lowering myself to such a fool once more."

"Yes, Kichijōten-sama, of course." He replied, attentively.

"Bless you, Watashi-kun." Truly, she admired the loyalty of the messengers, alongside their undying devotion. "We'll move now, there's no sense in wasting time."

And with that, Kichijōten walked forward, passing her kneeling messengers as a flood of them followed closely behind her, allowing the crowd to gradually grow in numbers while humming in unison. Dozens upon dozens more joined in the gathering, as Kichijōten gracefully allowed them to see her off. Before long, the entirety of the area was swarming with her disciples, stretching far within the land of her estate.

"Ouch!"

"Majiro, what did I tell you about going too far off into this area, I told you, it's not safe!"

'_What is this…?'_

Kichijōten sneered. She could've swore that the locals were informed of the fact that these grounds were forbidden for outsiders. Her gaze happened upon a young child on the ground crying with a badly scraped knee and a woman who, if she had to make a guess, was his mother.

"Now, please, come on and let's go home, we aren't wanted around here-"

"And just _what_ exactly is going on?"

A cold shiver surged through the body of the young boy's mother. The lump within her throat was almost too much for her to swallow, as she turned towards the source of the voice and froze instantaneously. The familiar look of irritation on the face of the woman towering over her and the child caused her to tremble in utter terror. Was this the day she'd died? Was this… cult so cruel as to kill a woman and her baby boy?

The woman walked forward, her frown only deepening while doing so. The mother instinctively clutched Majiro to her bosom in a desperate attempt to defend him if she needed to. However, she wasn't foolish. After seeing the destruction caused by this very same woman years ago, she figured that it was in her best interest to run as fast as she could, with Majiro in tow.

So _why _couldn't she move?

The leader crouched downwards towards the two of them, which was an action that elicited a feared gasp from both of the intruders. Kichijōten looked towards the boy first, only giving the woman a harsh glare before calmly smiling towards the child. He returned her gaze, but there was something about his woman that made his skin tingle with anxiety as he tightened his grip on his mother.

"Young child," Finally, she spoke, though the tone of her melodious voice put him slightly at ease for some bizarre reason. He made sure that his mother had a close eye to the woman and the crowd of strange individuals behind her. "_Surely, _your mother has told you that this is private property, correct?" However, the cadence of her voice then shifted darkly, bringing goosebumps to both the child and parent. "Only messengers of the holy spirit shall set foot upon this land, and If memory serves me right, _you _have yet to be cleansed."

There were no other words, no exchanges, or anything of the sort. As soon as she finished her words and they sensed the brevity and dourness within her words, the mother quickly scooped her child upwards and bowed fearfully before cowering off into the woodlands. Kichijōten sighed loudly as she watched the duo leave. She didn't _dislike _the locals, per se. Lord knows that they were preferable to the trash present within the city. However, it almost seemed as if they were testing her patience on purpose.

She didn't fret over it for much longer though. She had places to be, and the sooner she got this over with, the better.

And if that mongrel was there, then she was fully prepared to put him in his place if he acted out of line. _Permanently_, if the time called for it.

* * *

Cold, Decrepit, and a stench so rancid and malodorous that it would bring anyone who hasn't grown accustomed to it upon their knees in a single breath. The odor filled every orifice of the building, which had alabaster walls that were covered in amateurish graffiti throughout the enclosure. Echoes of cruel laughter and painful screams could be heard through the ears of a shivering man. A man who failed to conquer the fear overtaking his body as he was dragged across the harsh, vinyl flooring beneath him.

He was silent. Despite the immense feeling of dread overwhelming him, he was silent. Not because he wanted to be, but because he could practically _feel_ a piece of his hyoid bone protruding against his neck, threatening to burst through at a moment's notice. His windpipe was crushed, rendering him unable to speak or scream out in pain, no matter how much he wanted to. Instead, he could only watch as a trail was made of the blood that cascaded from his mouth and spilled onto the flooring.

He looked to see the nonchalant expression of his attacker. A girl with a high ponytail and pink hair smiled at him wickedly before mocking him by releasing a whispery tune. Despite the flimsiness of her limbs, her grip was tight. Borderline inescapable. She seemed so easy at first. With her stature, she looked as if she wouldn't have been strong enough to hurt a fly.

That thought went completely out of the window when he witnessed her dance around his bullets, however. Her movements, her mannerisms, her antics… it was almost as if she was a living, breathing cartoon character.

The main difference was that there was _nothing _remotely funny about this girl whatsoever.

"Oi, don't you die on me just yet, loser!" He winced as the piercingly, shrill voice of his kidnapper loudly penetrated his eardrums. The girl only seemed to be amused by his attempt to groan, which only came out in a strained whimper. "Kai-sama wants to have some fun with you personally, and I refuse to let him down because you're too much of a wimp to handle a fucked neck!"

For added measure, the girl delivered a harsh kick to his shattered rib-cage, causing his eyes to buck largely in response. He wanted to cry, he wanted to scream out in agony with a _passion_.

But unless he wanted to risk being in even more pain and lose what little bit of blood he did have, being quiet was his best (and only) option.

The smell was _awful_, and it only got worse during their journey within the building. The walls were damped and colored with a dark-crimson substance. Blood, no doubt. A hint of decaying flesh hit his nostrils as well. Were there actual bodies within this building? Or was it something… _else._

He heard the girl that dragged him breathe in the air around them, almost as if she reveled in the smell. He couldn't hide his look of disgust while looking towards her, but she merely arched her eyebrows at him for a response and snickered evilly.

"What, you don't know the smell of greatness when it hits your nose or something?" She giggled loudly. Whether it was from his expression or her own insanity, he'd never know. "Sadly for you, that means that we're getting closer to our super cool and badass leader!" Her grin then dropped in a millisecond, prompting him to shake even more as she stared at him with unimaginable disgust. "_**Trash like you isn't worthy of being eviscerated by our master**_… _**if it were up to me, I would've killed you in the streets like a sick dog.**_"

The man flinched, both from the level of venom and conviction within her voice and from feeling the middle of his neck bumping against the flooring. A flood of blood poured from his mouth as a result, and he could feel his stomach churning in response to the horrid, coppery taste of his own bodily essence. Seeing this, he heard the girl laughed out loud before playfully hushing herself in mock embarrassment.

"Whoopsieee~! Did I do thaaat~?" He felt the slightest twinge of anger when he heard the sing-songy delivery of her question. For as powerful as this girl seemed to be, she was equally annoying, but he was smart enough to not express it openly. "Ah, but you know what? I'm not too bothered by the fact that I had to bring you alive! I'm sure that Kai-sama will put on a show for me and… _the other one _once he gets his hands on you!"

He closed his eyes in response as tears welled within them, clouding his vision. He was truly convinced that this would be the very place that he'd perish. It was fitting, of course. Considering the life he'd lived until this point, he couldn't say that this wasn't expected nor undeserved.

After all, he shot too high for the stars. _Nobody _could hide from the Ayashiki Empire. His first and fatal mistake was thinking that he'd be any different.

"Oi, shitbag! Can you still smell it~?!" The girl held her grip upon his ankles even tighter, threatening to snap both of them like a twig if she applied any more pressure. His senses were almost non-existent at this point, and he could still pick up the scent coming from the rotting doors before the two of them. "I think we're heeeere~! And it seems like our wonderful Kai-sama is already aware of your arrival!" Her purple-colored eyes glared towards him cruelly, taking satisfaction in how defeated he looked by her words.

She didn't waste a single second. The girl wildly stretched her arms outwards, almost knocking the door off its hinges before walking in, dragging the man along with her afterwards. All the man could see at this point was the ceiling as his body was slammed to the ground. The girl was no longer in his field of vision, and he was honestly grateful of the fact. However, that gratitude came to an end once he heard deep footsteps across the floor.

"Must you be so extra while opening a door? You can be really annoying sometimes, pink duckling." That voice. _That _voice. One that he could never forget, no matter how much he wanted to. The level of authority present within his tone, their apathetic cadence… everything about it brought _every_ hair upon his body to stand. "But anyways, good work, I guess."

It was when the footsteps ended directly beside his ears that the smell from before was at an all-time high, and he could no longer hold back from releasing biles mixed with blood from his throat, choking him in the process. He tried to look upwards and finally, he came face-to-face with his worst nightmare. The dictator-style outfit with blends of dark black, blue and white, the various badges decorating their chest, and the tattered, black cape floating behind him.

But what frightened him the most about the figure was their dark-blueish eyes above all else. Never in his life had he seen a gaze that was so unforgiving… so malignant…. It was stare that screamed "_I am superior to you in every way", _and he was no fool. He was well-aware of the fact that this man held his fate comfortably within the palms of his hands.

"You know, that look in your eyes…? You're already aware of what's about to happen here, aren't you?" The moment that the dictator's cold yet casual tone was directed at him, the man trembled, both from the feeling of his body weakening and from utter terror. "It takes a special kind of dumbass to mosey into _**my **_kingdom and think they can get one over on me, even when I've made examples out of so many others…."

Without warning, the man standing above him held his hand outwards, and sudden wisps of black smoke drifted ominously from his body. The aroma of death and rotten eggs was even more prevalent within the enclosed space, flowing towards every nook and cranny in the room. The man on the ground watched in horror as he suddenly felt an indescribable amount of pain searing through every part of his body. It forced him to open his mouth in a pitiful attempt to scream, but he simply couldn't. All that could be heard was a series of wheezes and grunts as one of the black wisps entered through his nostrils.

"Honestly, I'm not sure what's stopping me from outright murdering you right now…" the dictator kept an almost bored and inexpressive gaze as he watched the man's blood overflow from his mouth and oozed towards his nose, choking him in the process. "Maybe I just like seeing idiots like you squirm… or maybe I wanna be as late as possible to piss off that bitchy cult leader." He then shrugged uncaringly, letting a small smirk casually grace his features. "Or maybe I'm just bored…. It's probably the latter, honestly. Either way, you're fucked, though you probably knew that already."

The man on the floor gagged as a sudden geyser of blood exploded from his mouth, spilling directly into his eyes and nasal cavity. His eyes began to roll towards the back of his head until his pupils were no longer visible. The bone within his neck could be seen poking through his skin, looking as if it would break through at any second.

"Eh, seriously? Already? How boring," The dictator rolled his eyes, sighing before jadedly staring down at the bloodied mess of a man before continuing. "All right, fine, one question for you and then you can go~ How healthy are you?"

If it weren't for the fact that he was quite literally on the verge of death, the man would've rolled his eyes. _How _was he supposed to answer that question in his current state, exactly? To the man's part amusement, part disbelief, the dictator looked even _more_ annoyed if that was even possible. He barely heard the muttered "Useless, the whole lot of you" before another figure in the back that he hadn't seen until now spoke up quietly, "Kai-sama, his bones seem healthy if nothing else."

For a few moments, the dictator seemed as if he was contemplating his options before shrugging nonchalantly. "Eh, well, good enough." He then gave one final smirk towards the man on the ground. "Then that's that, thanks for visiting…. _**Too bad you weren't strong enough**_."

It was at this moment that the small wisps of dark essence suddenly expanded, emanating from the opened palm of the imposing male and shrouding his victim within seconds. The whispery sounds of the man struggling for survival were silenced as a cloud of eternal darkness engulfed him, slowly draining his body gradually… until he was little more than an empty husk of weakened flesh. Bit by bit, his body was then broken down into dust and became one with the black mist surrounding the Empire's leader.

Kai breathed inwardly, subtly enjoying the invigorating feeling of power surging through his veins as the black fog surrounding him evaporated. He then released a sigh before turning towards the figure that was previously in the background. "So… how long has it been?"

Said figure pulled their hood over their head a little more before responding. "It's been exactly twenty one minutes since we've gotten the phone call from Kunniya-san—"

"I guess that's enough time," Kai interrupted. He casually stepped within the pool of blood covering the ground before making his way through the doors and down the halls. From the corner of his eye, he could see two of his subordinates following behind closely. "Now, let's go! Also, how upset do you think the princess is gonna be~?"

The girl from earlier giggled, making sure to do so right within the ear of the hooded figure, earning her a dark glare in response. "Well, on a scale of switching tea brands to ripping a hole in Kanagawa…? Maybe somewhere around messing up her oh-so-perfect hair and face?"

Kai grunted, "Hm, good enough, I guess." He then flashed the girl an unamused expression. "And for the record, the one who ripped a hole in Kanagawa was _me_. Keep your mouth shut if you don't know what you're talking about."

The girl sweatdropped, sporting a nervous grin while the hooded male figure on the side of her snickered softly. "Sorry, sorryyyy, Kai-sama~!"

Kai hummed lightly before focusing his gaze forward, keeping his eyes locked on the elevator as they entered the paternoster.

'_You'd better be.'_

* * *

_Everything was as it should've been… __**everything**__. For years, he'd been honing his craft, pushing his body to its absolute limits for this very moment. Justice… a concept that had been lost for such a long time. Generations have passed, and the necessary changes had __**never **__been taken. Such complacency had never sat right with him. _

_However, he was merely a child when everything was taken from him…. What could he have possibly done at the moment?_

_The chilly winds nipped at the scruff of his neck as his snow-colored hair flew within the wind. His tall stature was poised on the end of a skyscraper overlooking the city of Tokyo. A city once belonging to that of the common folk…. A welcoming city where tourists from all over the world beckoned it's call in a desperate attempt to take advantage of the bustling city and all that it had to offer._

_Now…? The city was polluted with scum, all of which spreaded throughout the urban areas and clouded it with gunpowder and smoke from a multitude of fulminations._

_He hated it._

_He __**DETESTED **__it. _

_The wretched stench was overbearing to his nostrils, forcing him to turn his nose up from the horrid aroma. Savages laid waste to countless monuments that could never have hoped to be restored. Local shopping malls were contaminated with unsavory individuals that contributed to the rise of blood painting the streets red. The city never shined in all of its glory like it once did._

_The Hai-Hai Syndicate…_

_Black Cats…_

_The Messengers…_

_And last and definitely least in his book, the Ayashiki Empire… the cause for the death of Japan's most pivotal city. _

_The downfall of society._

_All of them._

_If it were up to him, he would waste no time. There wouldn't be any protocols, operations, meetings, or anything of the sort. All of that was just a huge waste of time and resources. _

_If it were up to him, he'd drag each and every leader away from their assembly of deprived and petulant criminals and slaughter them like pigs in the streets, all for the sake of savoring their expressions in their final… as the citizens cheer in honoration of what could be the greatest public execution since the olden days._

_However, it was not up to him, unfortunately. He had orders, and he had to respect them. Besides, he couldn't complain. With the extra support from the government of Japan, he'd be seeing all of them dead soon enough. He just had to be patient, that's all. _

_He would give them a warning first. He was nothing if not a gentleman, and he was no coward either, so he'd personally see to it that all of them understood that if they didn't stand down, their fate would be nothing less than pitiful after he was finished with them. _

_He was no fool though, not like the last imbecile that looked over his team in the past. He knew all of them like the back of his hand, even when they'd never seen him a day in their lives. They would never stand down, for they were much too prideful… arrogant, conceited. All of their egos were large enough to rival a planet. _

_That wasn't a problem though._

_If anything, that __**excited **__him. _

_More than anything else, he wanted to be the one to butcher all of them… just like they'd done to so many innocents in the past. _

_And with the power that was bestowed upon him and after years of mastering every aspect of it, he finally felt ready…. The time was drawing closer and closer._

_It was all a matter of patience._

"_The White Knight initiative… scheduled to take full effect the next __**30 days**__."_

_Only a single month left… __**and the purging could commence**__. _

* * *

**And there is the prologue! A fucking 10,000+ word prologue! Obviously, it would seem that I am long-winded! Anyways, this is the official start of the story, humanoids! Special thanks goes to Butterfly Chikage AKA the greatest friend that a guy could have for helping me to bring this story to life! Shout-outs also go to heartattak, Zero-tan, Nerfherder-han, Insanity's Jewel, HotPinkMonster, ExusiaiApplePie, ekoshio and more for sharing their support and inspiring me as well, this story would not be happening without you all believing in ya boi! For introductions, my name is Monty and up until now, I've simply been an avid creator on this site. Therefore, this is my first official story! I'm nervous as hell, but my excitement overwhelms my anxiety! I hope that we all get along well, and I hope that you'll all express interest in this humble little story of mine!**

**So! With that out of the way, once again, the form is within my profile! Happy creating, everyone, I can't wait to see what you all send!**

**Ganbare! :3 **


	2. The Dogs Among Us - II

_**Chapter 1 - The Dogs Among Us - Part II**_

It was cramped. There was barely enough legroom for herself, let alone for the other occupants within the vehicle. She was also pretty sure that If she'd moved her head even an inch to the side, she'd find it within the bosom of another female passenger.

The saccharine scent of perfume wafting throughout the automobile entered her nostrils, causing her to almost shiver in delight before she silently contained herself. The woman felt pressure on one side of her shoulder, right before her eyes fell upon the aquamarine-colored hair of her right-hand helper.

Though an enclosed environment with many other inhabitants filling such a vast amount of space would be bothersome and uncomfortable to anyone else, these same grievances didn't apply to Tsubara.

She smiled softly, fondly observing Demiji's sleepy expression of tranquility as she raised her hand to caress his head, pulling him closer to her. For her, _nothing _was comparable to this level of intimacy with her subordinates.

Tsubara winced to herself. Wait… _Subordinates_? Did she really just think that?

Never had she despised a word so much in her entire life. It was so meaningless and devoid of care, something that she'd _never _want to attach to her sweethearts. No, family… family was a much more accurate description for them. She mentally cursed herself for her mistake and took to staring outside of the windows, not wanting to remove her manicured hands from Demiji's velvety locks.

The cities seemed more crowded than usual. Most of its residents cautiously watched while her convoy passed along the streets. Tsubara smirked. **Good**_. _Contrary to popular belief, she wasn't a violent woman… without reason, of course. She considered herself to be a humble bee. On most days, she's merely trying to mind her own business, attend to her hive, and appease her family, more often than not. Sure, illegal activities are rather frequent on their behalf, but they had to do what they had to do!

But they _never _went out of their way to kill without reason. That went against everything she stood for.

Just like a bee, if you fiddled about and pestered it enough, it'll defend itself. And she figured that summed up her and all of her family members really well.

That being said, the wariness of the citizens in her area was quite delightful, from her viewpoint. The more they know of them, the less likely it'll be for them to cause her any problems. Problems were the last thing she needed right now after all. If Kunniya's little meeting scheduling was anything to go by, at least. She was just glad that they knew their place… _for the most part, unfortunately._ There was always that **one **fool that tried to rain on their parade and spoil their fun.

It was never a major issue though. Her family was united and strong, forming such a mountain that was immovable, especially not by low-rate peons. And like a mountain, too much movement caused avalanches, and many have fallen because they shot too high for the stars and pushed their luck, resulting in them getting crushed.

And as soon as someone pushed their luck once, that's it. You don't _**get**_ a second chance.

But that was a topic for a later time. Right now, she simply wanted nothing more than to enjoy the little bit of quality time she can have with her wonderful family.

Tsubara whistled along to the tune emanating from the radio station, thoroughly enjoying the poppish tunes blasting from the speakers. At least, as much of it as she could hear. Exuberant chatter muddled the music ever so slightly, as most of the Hai-Hai members within her limousine consulted and bantered amongst themselves.

She didn't mind it, however. She _never _minded it! No music could compare to the sound of unification within her organization. The voices reminded her of the fact that they were alive and breathing… it was a reminder of what she had **now** as opposed to what she was deprived of throughout the entirety of her past life.

She was happy now. They made her happy. And she'd be damned if anyone or anything would ruin this for her ever again. _She'd make sure of it._

"Tsubara-sama!"

Her heart fluttered at the sound of a familiar voice. The same chivalrous and excitable voice that she'd come to fall in love with since the young girl's integration within the gang. She spoke with such respect, such honor, and the level of conviction in her vocal inflection was enough to make her swoon on the spot. She kept herself in check, for she didn't wish to disrupt Demiji from his slumber before smiling at the individual.

"Why yeeees~? What is it, Suggi-chaaan, my precious samurai warrior?" Tsubara met the intricate eyes of another girl who sat across from her, beaming as she admired her exotically unique features. "Is something wrong?"

Tsubara's eyes never left her. The darkened horns that protruded from either side of her head, her wondrous eyes with golden swirls drowning in a sea of endless violet, and most importantly… her adorably serious expression… or at least, her attempt at one. One similar to that of a soldier, but she'd never be able to mask her true cuteness. And frankly, Tsubara had no complaints with that.

"Hmph!" Suga huffed confidently, happily savoring the attention of her empress as she sat across from her. "I would like to graciously inform you that we're reaching the end of our perilous journey through the concrete kingdom of Osaka! And we'll make it without ANY issues!" She then tossed her extremely long hair over her shoulder, unintentionally causing another member to sneeze by having her light lavender tips tickle their nose. "As expected! For what foolish imp would dare impose on such fearless warriors such as ourselves!?"

Tsubara giggled, placing her hand within her dress pocket to grasp an unwrapped sweet cake before tossing it to Suga, who happily caught it. "Oh as if our enemies would even dream of attacking us with you and the others aboard, Suggi-chi~! Your aura was enough to scare away the unrighteous rulers of the night and lead us to our destination!"

Though Suga kept her usual poker-faced expression, the color of her face betrayed her as she spoke with reddened cheeks. "It-It was my duty as your protector, my Empress!" She then unsheathed a long sword from her holster, carefully displaying it before her leader. "For I would not only carry myself through the realms of darkness for you, but I would also clash swords with the lord of evil, Akuma, himself if it meant that I'd ensure your safety in the process!"

_God, words could not express how much Tsubara loved and treasured this girl_.

"And you know that the same goes from me to yoooou, Suggi-chi!" Small hearts could practically be seen within Tsubara's eyes as she beamed towards the girl before her, who was now bowing as low as her body would allow her. "I won't let _anything _happen to any of you! In this meeting, I _**refuse **_for the same incident from last time to occur once again!"

Tsubara gestured for Suga to come closer, to which the taller girl happily complied. "Sit by senpai for me, yeah~?"

"Yes, Empress! Anything for you!" Suga announced before swiftly making her way over towards her leader, shifting between the smaller gaps of space, opposite of Demiji's side. She gasped at the feeling of Tsubara's head slightly leaning against her shoulder, blushing as the sounds of her leader's cooing could be heard. "M-My Empress?"

"You know, Suga, I'm really proud of you…" Tsubara whispered softly, as she smiled a tired smile towards the black-horned girl adoring smile. "Despite all that you've been through, you've still managed to be one of the best girls that I could ever ask for! The amount of passion that you have, the intensity of your love, and your loyalty means the world to me and all of the others!"

Suga took the time to look around the vehicle, noticing that all of the previous commotion from earlier had died down. She was greeted with stares from all around her, smiles as friendly as ever. No matter how much she saw it, she could never get used to it. The feeling of butterflies filled her stomach, further making her shrink inwardly with a bashful smile, and Suga then succumbed to nuzzling Tsubara back.

"It-It is my pleasure and duty as a part of your army, Tsubara-senpai! I would never allow myself to not pull my weight and disappoint you, my Empress, for you are my light and flame..." Suga's voice then transcended into a mere whisper, a melancholic expression etched onto her features. "Without you, I was lost… I wasn't quite sure _what _to believe in or who to fight for… but this enclave has given me new-found purpose! It is my honor to fight for my family, no matter the cause."

Without warning, Tsubara pecked the girl on the cheek at a rapid pace, feeling herself on the verge of tears as an abundance of "oh's" and "aw's" could be heard from the other members present. She then pressed her cheek against Suga's, getting as close to her as she possibly could without letting go of Demiji.

"You have… _no _idea how happy that makes me, Suggi-chi~!" Tsubara said, more so to herself than anyone else. Her eyes met Suga's before pressing her dainty finger against the samurai's small, pointed nose. "And I love that you've accepted us into your life as well!"

"Tsubara-senpai!" The chirpy voice of a familiar figure could be heard from the front seat of the limousine, on the opposite side of where the chauffeur was positioned. Sticking her head from behind the head of the seat, Junko had revealed herself. "W-We're coming closer to the meeting point! Once we get there, we'll provide a circle around the perimeter while Suga and Demiji accompany you within the building!"

'_Okay… another five years, another get-together with these bozos…' _A sigh escaped past Tsubara's lips before she turned to carefully peck both Suga and Demiji on their foreheads, effectively walking up the latter in the process. "Alright, everyone! Let's get this show on the road, you all know the drill! We can't have another incident like last time, yeah~?!"

"_**NO, SENPAI!**_" The entirety of the gang shouted in unison, all of them preparing their Quirks with innocent smiles on their mostly cherubic faces.

"If any of these meanies get out of line and think that they can hurt one of our own, what are we going to do!?" Tsubara exclaimed, positioning herself with her chest stuck forward and her fist in the air.

"_**SLAUGHTER THEM! DESTROY THEM! FILLET THEM! SHOW NO MERCY AND SPARE NO ONE!**_" The proclamations of the gang only increased in volume, being loud enough to even be heard from those taking up space on different sides of the street's sector. Within mere minutes, Tsubara looked outside and chuckled at the sight of all the pedestrians quickly leaving the vicinity at the blink of an eye.

"And that's what we'll do! For those that we love and protect because _**THAT **_is the Hai-Hai spirit!" Tsubara finished before rising her fist to the air, a pink shade of energy surrounding it in a menacing fashion. "Say it with me, you beautiful cuties, you! Hai-Hai!"

"_**HAI-HAAAAAAI!**_" As the bellowing of the gang's cheers echoed through the streets, the doors of the limousine smashed open and from there, a sea of colors flooded the both sides of the streets. A cacophony of excitable voices clashed together, sounding like music to Tsubara's ears as she grasped the frilly sems of her rose-colored dress before putting her shoes to the ground and walking towards the building's entrance. On both sides of her were Suga and Demiji.

"I'm sorry that you two had to be the ones to stay around for these stupid, annoying dummy-heads." Tsubara snickered, placing both of her hands on the shoulder blades of her two most trusted lieutenants, keeping a sympathetic expression. "But for these idiots, I trust you guys to let me know if anything remotely fishy is taking place while I'm focused on trying to speak stupid with them!"

Demiji chuckled, suppressing a yawn before bumping his fist against his chest, causing light-azure armor with futuristic details and neon-blue circuits to immediately cover his entire body. "It's no worry, Tsubara-senpai! We completely understand that you want to take extra precautions!"

"Yes, indeed, my armor-clad companion!" Suga exclaimed, pulling two twin-swords from holsters on either side of her waist and swinging them at blinding speeds, making sure not to nick Tsubara and Demiji in the process. She proudly admired her samurai-esque uniform, fondly pressing her gloved fingertips across the Hai-Hai engraving on her arm guard. "For with us present, they'll fail to mask their killing intent in an adequate fashion! And we shall immediately prepare for a battle to protect you, my Empress!"

Tsubara giggled, raising her hand to lightly caress the side of Suga's cheek, causing the girl to blush for a second. "Oh, you don't have to worry about little old me! I'll be _just _fine! You leave the bigger wienies to me, okay~? They can't do shit to me anyways, and I warned them that if any situation like last time happens, I'm going to skewer them and feed them to Haru-chi!"

As the entrance grew closer before the trio passed the threshold, bringing them into a room of immense tenebrosity, Tsubara's eyes narrowed and gleamed dangerously. An occurrence that wasn't lost on both Suga and Demiji, who looked towards one another and nodded.

'_It's been a long time since I've had to kill… __**let's hope these bozos don't change that and get me all out of character**_…'

* * *

"_Well… this is somewhat awkward, huh?"_

No matter how much she tried, she failed to suppress the urge to roll her eyes in indignation at the sound of a common nuisance within the room. It was evident that he wouldn't keep himself quiet, she never expected him to, but she was so used to having comfortable silence with her subordinates that the incessant droning of his dull voice was beginning to drive her mad.

She merely side-eyed him, scrutinizingly observing his manner of dressing and wrinkling her nose upwards at how… distastefully _causal _it was. As opposed to wearing something that was becoming of a renowned kingpin, it seemed as if he'd been dumpster-diving in the back-alley of a thrift store-shop. With his messy, black leather jacket with a few tatters accompanying a pair of lazily-fitted denim jeans, and his dusted white sneakers.

Fighting the urge to gag was quite a difficult endeavor for Kichijōten. His sense of fashion was almost as revolting as his bothersome personality.

Meanwhile, Kurotsuki's cat-like smirk grew wider with every passing second as he paid close attention to Kichijōten's judgmental stare, fully reveling in her obvious distaste. While he considered her thoughts on him to be quite trifling and irrelevant, he could never hide his amusement to her disapprovals.

Kurotsuki raised a slender hand and ran it across his straight black-colored hair, tilting his head to the side as he raised his eyebrows. His golden eyes were fully locked onto Kichijōten, who was currently contemplating on arising from her chair and blackening both of them. "Hmmm~? You seem grumpy today, Kiyo… at least, more so than you usually are, of course."

Kichijōten rolled her eyes, "Well, considering the fact that I have several other matters that I could be attended to at the moment, but I'm stuck amidst the company of _you _and the rest of the mongrels," She flipped her long, amatharine hair to the side, avoiding the stare of Kurotsuki in the process. "I'd say that I have a valid reason to be displeased. Also, I don't remember giving you permission to call me by my first name, you heathen."

Kurotsuki snickered to him briefly before placing his feet on the table and closing his eyes. "Oh~? Is that right?" The Black Cats leader then mockingly bowed towards the girl, chuckling to himself before responding. "Then I'll be sure to keep that in mind, just for you… _princess."_

Her hands tightly gripped her end of the table, causing the sounds of wood splitting to echo throughout the room. Her purple gaze was placed dangerously upon Kurotsuki, who merely shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant fashion.

"Alrighty! Then I suppose we'll settle for Kiyo~!" He carefully examined his fingernails before continuing, all while outright ignoring Kiyoko's death glare. "It took years, but I'm glad that we've finally established titles and such in this short amount of time, _Kiyoko_~!"

Kiyoko growled slowly, staring daggers towards the infuriating male before taking a series of deep breaths. Finally, she calmed herself before letting go of the table, ignoring the resounding pieces of wood clashing against the harsh, solid grounds below. Her glare persisted, nonetheless.

The fact that Kurotsuki didn't look intimidated in the slightest almost infuriated her even more.

"I'm surprised to see you here already," Kiyoko muttered bitterly, more so to herself than Kurotsuki. "Don't you usually do your whole stalking thing before you show yourself?"

Kurotsuki lightly chuckled, "Stalking, huh? Is that what you call it? Well, I suppose that you wouldn't be too far off, but the only _other _person I know that calls it that is—"

"I wouldn't finish that sentence if I were you, mongrel…" Kiyoko whispered, feeling rage returning at full-force and coursing through her veins. "Anyways, why don't you just save me and everyone else coming here the trouble and simply state why you called us here in the first place? Or at least, why you had your little _helper _do it instead..."

Kurotsuki boredly stared at Kiyoko before returning his attention to his nails, glancing cautiously towards the entrance while doing so. "You'll see."

Kiyoko grunted, holding an expression of frustration. Who _exactly _did he think he was, making her waste anymore of her precious time within the presence of _non-believers _and _heretics?_

"You must think that I'm some sort of fool, huh…" She angrily spat, entirely fed up with Kurotsuki's shenanigans. "You _know _that disgusting, filthy rat won't be here until at _least _thirty minutes from now, so you might as well save me the trouble of having to smell or converse with him by telling me what the trouble is at this very moment!"

Kurotsuki winced, perturbed by the increasing volume of her voice. She always was quite a demanding individual. And a hypocritical one as well, considering that she never truly practiced what she preached. For someone who was supposed to the embodiment of elegance, class and refinement, Kiyoko could be _loud _whenever she wanted to be. Last time he checked, having an inside voice was a pivotal part of being well-mannered.

A part of him really wanted to just toss the information into her face and call it a day, but where would be the fun in that? She was amusing when she was frustrated after all, and an annoyed Kiyoko would be even more fun to deal with when her _nemesis _showed up.

Kurotsuki then replaced his wince with a slight smirk, his cat-like eyes squinting all the while. "Sorry~! You might be one of my favorite girls, but I can't be _too _heavy on the favoritism with you, Kiyo." He shifted in his seat, wiggling his eyebrows to further irritate the young girl. "So you'll have to bear with me and wait until the rest show up, _sweetheart._"

'_Sweet__**heart**_…_?' _Kiyoko grounded her teeth at a considerably loud magnitude, fully penetrating the thick silence that followed Kurotsuki's teasing statement. The _audacity _of this low-life peon to think he could speak to her as if she was his friend. As if he wasn't speaking to Kami's chosen one. If she could have it her way, Kurotsuki would've been impaled and skewered before being nailed to a cross, limb-by-limb.

And she'd be sure that it was in a humiliating fashion as well. It would've been a treat to see if his blatant disrespect was as humorous to him then.

"Hai-Haaaaaaai~! I'm so sorry for our late arrival, but the life of a second mother is never easy—!" Kiyoko was brought out of her stupor from a strangely familiar voice. One that was chirpy, light, and _unnecessarily high-pitched_.

In the corner of her eyes, she could see Kurotsuki shifting into a shadow while moving in the darker crevices of the room. Kiyoko clicked her tongue in annoyance as he playfully placed his finger over his mouth, shushing her before disappearing.

'_Such an imbecile…' _Kiyoko frowned before turning to greet the woman entering the room. "Greetings, Nishimoto, and it's quite alright… we weren't getting much of anywhere in the first place."

"I'll bet~!" Tsubara giggled, flipping her bubblegum-pink hair to the side before finding her place in a seat opposite of Kiyoko. "I could practically feel the annoyance wafting from you as soon as I entered the room, hence my pause in speaking." Her large, curious eyes scanned the room, noticing that at least one inhabitant was missing. "Wait, wasn't Yasue _just _in here with you? What happened to him—ah, he's doing the whole hiding thing again, isn't he?"

"As per usual, it's never him if he isn't acting like a brain-dead chimpanzee after all." Kiyoko rolled her eyes, placing her chin within the palm of her hand before boredly staring at the blackened walls around her. She frowned in deep distaste. Whoever was responsible for the interior design of this decrepit building should have been killed. Such an underwhelming spot, but considering the people that were overseeing such things, Kiyoko supposed that it was expected to a degree.

Tsubara blew a raspberry before shaking her head. "Wienie, a total wiener," she replied mockingly. "Though he can be entertaining in his own ways… occasionally."

"_Oh yes_," Kiyoko exclaimed in an obviously exaggerated manner. "A modern day jester of the likes that we've never seen before! One that could surely make a dying dog howl in laughter…"

"Oh, Kagurazaka, we both know that the only way a dog would ever howl from his antics is for someone to put it out of its misery." Tsubara snickered. She twirled one of her pink braids around her svelte fingers before looking at the opening, sighing affectionately while Suga and Demiji chatted at the entrance.

"And now, we wait for the overlord of edginess to, once again, arrive in a late fashion~!" Tsubara remarked, making sure to carefully observe Kiyoko's expression. "I guess we should've brought our masks, huh? Considering the fact that we can pretty much smell the stench of him from miles away… _literally_."

Kiyoko never responded verbally, merely letting her look of acrimony speak for her. Tsubara almost failed in hiding her amusement behind an adorable smile. She could never help herself in poking fun at their little rivalry with each other. They were both relatively young for their positions as leaders, so she'd like to think that their spite for one another was actually to mask their true feelings for one another.

Possibly… the feeling of _love._

Of course, she knew that wasn't the case. Both Kiyoko and Kai just legitimately wanted to kill one another. But, she figured that it would never hurt to indulge within her own fantasies from time to time.

Suddenly, the air surrounding them became denser than before, signifying an obvious change in the atmosphere. Tsubara was the first to notice, closely followed by Kiyoko, who proceeded to stand from her seat. She eyed the entrance cautiously, her fist shaking with such intensity that a hazardous glow radiating from both hands, shrouding her arms in a golden aura.

A new smell was present, completely overwhelming the previous scent of paint and drywall within the room. The smell of rancid, rotting corpses encompassed the vicinity in a matter of seconds. A faint "ew" could be heard from Tsubara before she stuck her tongue outward, pretending to gag before enclosing herself within an incredibly bright orb made of pink, surging energy.

Kiyoko, on the other hand, growled underneath her breath before finding her seat once more, turning away from the entrance entirely as she raised her hand to conceal her nostrils.

"_Pfffft… jokes on him, I can't smell a damn thing like this…" _Said a whisper from a different corner of the room, who Tsubara and Kiyoko deciphered to be Kurotsuki.

Powerfully loud steps could be heard echoing within the room, coming from the direction that they'd all entered from previously. It was almost like a continuous loop to them, especially Kiyoko who knew that he was merely being overly dramatic for the sake of pissing her off. A _child. _That's all he'd ever be, unfortunately. The wish to run forward and drag him through the building, breaking every bone in his body within the process just so he could sit still... was quite tempting to her.

But she knew that she couldn't do that. For as much of a petulant child as he was, he was resilient… _like a cockroach. _An insect that he'd shared many similarities with, but above all else, he was dirty, preserving… and _hard to get rid of._

Never in her young life on earth had she _ever _abhorred someone as much as she did him.

After what felt like days, which was only about three minutes in reality, a single black boot emerged from the darkness of the entrance before a figure followed afterwards.

"Waiting for me? _**I'm honored**_." Despite his breaking of the silence, his steps were still quite deliberate, calm and unshaken amidst the tension gripping the enclosed space that held all three of… _the others. _

Not a single word or greeting was exchanged as he reached the table, boredly looking upon the two girls positioned there as well. Finally, he found a seat, far away from the others as he raised his feet, perching them upon the top surface before leaning in his chair.

Without warning, a familiar shadow could be seen blitzing towards a seat closer to Kai before shifting into Kurotsuki once more, who then playfully waved at Kai with his trademark Cheshire-cat-like smile. "And hello to you, thy harbinger of death and destruction."

"Alright, and? You want to tell me why I had to come all the way across the map to get here, stalker?" Kai then turned and spat nonchalantly on the vinyl flooring below, inducing a look of disgust and revulsion from Kiyoko. "And if this is all for nothing, then I hope you got your little hamster behind the desk to pick you out a grave-site… if there even is anything left by the time I'm done with you."

Kurotsuki took a moment to observe Kai, staring deep within his dark blue eyes that were similar to an endless nebula of darkness and danger. His gaze was almost completely dead, as he possessed a stare that told a thousand tales, all of which were filled with complete despair and affliction… so much so that they'd place anyone within the doldrums of anguish and fear with a single glimpse.

But not Kurotsuki though. In fact, he'd considered them to be quite pretty… in their own twisted way.

"What are you looking at? Stare a little longer and I'll gouge out your eyes and feed them to your _cats _because they're clearly useless anyway. Well? Get to the point, I don't have all day, you know." Kai then removed his dictator-styled cap, revealing his blonde-hair before placing it on the table.

Kurotsuki raised his hands in a mischievously defensive manner. "Hey, calm down~! I'm just happy that you were able to make it without trouble, my guy."

Kai scoffed, "You say that like I ever have troubles."

Kai's eyes wandered towards the other two inhabitants once again, grinning a condescending smirk at Kiyoko, who seemed adamant on not acknowledging his existence.

Tsubara looked between the two before looking over to Kurotsuki, who was mimicking the facial expression of Kai, eliciting a giggle from Tsubara before she did the same with Kiyoko. Both immediately played coy when both Kai and Kiyoko shifted cold gazes towards both of them.

Rolling his eyes, Kai had decided that the extended silence had gone on far enough. The sooner that they got this over with, the better.

"Ribbons," He spoke, addressing Tsubara first, who maintained a smile despite the obvious tick mark on her forehead. Smirking, he then moved his attention to Kiyoko. "_Princess. _Did you miss me?"

"I certainly didn't miss your scent…" Kiyoko venomously spat, finally turning her hate-filled glare towards Kai for the first time since he'd entered the room. "You _stink_, and you look even more like a sick dog than you usually do. To think that someone could come out and present themselves the way you do and actually feel proud of it is… _repulsive."_

Kai stared back without a hint of intimidation present, raising his eyebrows while doing so. "Well, if you're really _that _adverse to it, I'd be more than happy to put you six feet under so that you can't smell anything at all."

Kiyoko grunted to herself, slightly amused by the prospect of him doing _anything _to her, let alone killing her. "Save the threats for your underlings if you haven't killed them all for merely hurting your sensitive little heart." She snapped her fingers rapidly, leading to a small, petite young girl with curly pig-tails and wings to materialize within the air, carrying a cup of tea.

"Besides, you tried the same thing last time, and you were utterly embarrassed. Do not let our audience see you make an even bigger fool of yourself once again." She mockingly stated, accepting the cup and patting the girl's head before sending her off.

A cruel chuckle erupted from Kai's throat, echoing within the room before responding. "You always were delusional, I'm not surprised to see that it's spread to other parts of your personality as well. In that case, it probably isn't even worth saying, but well I'll say it anyway." Kai then carefully examined his hat, rubbing smears off of the metallic embellishments on the front side.

Finally finishing, he placed it upon his head once more, keeping his eyes shadowed by the cap's tip. "_The one who was embarrassed in that fight wasn't me. _After all, you're the one who was hiding behind your little guardian like a coward, relying on your fucking nonsensical ramblings to a nonexistent being, and yet _still_ couldn't put a single scratch on me."

Dark irises could be seen glowing through the darkened area of his eyes as he brutally addressed Kiyoko, who radiated a black-hearted essence. "You're just a little girl playing pretend in your own little bubble and corrupting those around you with your madness because you're too scared to face reality. Honestly, I really don't see why you think the desperate delusions of filth as low as yourself could possibly hold even a feather's weight against _me_. But well, whatever lets you sleep at night, Princess. Wouldn't want you going so mad you have to be put down like a rabid dog because you're lacking your beauty sleep now, would we?"

The room was completely inaudible, save for the ticking of Kurotsuki's wrist-watch as he and Tsubara cautiously darted their eyes towards Kiyoko. She seemed calm, albeit in a very eerily kind of way. However, Tsubara caught note of the fact that Kiyoko's arm shook violently as she raised her cup towards her lips.

Tsubara wasn't a fool by any stretch of the imagination. Kiyoko usually held a cup of green tea like her life depended on it, so her quivering like an earthquake in the middle of drinking was a rare sight.

A rare sight that usually ended with bloodshed and violence. And she'd be _damned _if she's let these bickering children endanger her family ever again.

"OKAAAAY~!" Tsubara exclaimed, speaking through clenched teeth as she looked over to Kurotsuki. "I think that we've all exchanged formalities by this point, so I don't really see much reason for us to stall any longer… _right, Yasue-chi_?" She growled in a subtle manner, while giving Kurotsuki an obviously fake smile.

Kurotsuki would be lying to himself if he said that he didn't want to push things a little further. In fact, the temptation was quickly overtaking his common sense. He could _never _get enough of how these two seemed to always be at each other's necks in an instant. Deep down, he knew that Tsubara did too.

He understood her reasoning for wanting things to be resolved quickly though. The last "meeting" between them ended up with a Hai-Hai member getting hurt… something that Tsubara did _not _take kindly to, considering that she turned Kai and Kiyoko's fight into a triple-threat immediately afterwards.

Kai and Kiyoko fighting, he could handle pretty well. Kai and Kiyoko **AND **a pissed off Tsubara was a nightmare that he didn't want to relive. For as cute as she was, Tsubara could be as scary as all of them combined when she wanted to be.

Kurotsuki sighed before clearing his throat, "Ah, yeah, you're right, Tsu. As fun as it is seeing these two rekindle their long-lost re—!"

"_Think very carefully about what comes out of your filthy, disease-ridden mouth next, you horrendous, walking heap of back-alley trash,_" Kiyoko snapped, completely derailing Kurotsuki's train of thought. "_And you, __**Ayashiki**_… _you speak out of line to Kami-sama's chosen prophet like that again… and I'll see to it that I keep all of your savages in tattered suits and chains for your crucifixion, as your corpse is defiled by flames hotter than the underworld itself._"

Kai never even passed Kiyoko a second glance, far more interested with his shiny, black boots than her threats, "You're more than welcome to try, of course~ But I doubt you'd be able to so much as scratch me even if I walked up to your little execution ring myself. Can you even light a match with those fragile fingers of yours, Princess? Oh wait, sorry, I forgot you have brainwashed servants to do everything for you because you're pathetically incapable of doing anything yourself, _Your Royal Fucking Highness_."

Tsubara clears her throat loudly, "Ne, Yasue-chi? Can we do this like… _**right now~**_?"

"Okay, _fine, _settle down, kiddos," Kurotsuki mumbled, unable to hide the obvious disappointment in his voice. "Alright… so we all know that the current Prime Minister of Japan no longer resides in Tokyo, courtesy of Ayashiki," he quipped.

"What can I say?" Kai shrugged. "It was being wasted on him, so I took it. I should've killed him while I was at it, but…well, it doesn't matter either way."

"...Yeah~! So anyways," Kurotsuki continued, deciding that it was truly for the best to say his peace before someone was at another's throat once more. "I was sniffing about, digging through records and picking up leads on where they could be stationed for the time being because it's always good to know where the enemies lay their heads, right? And.. lo and behold, I stumbled upon the big boss himself and his cute little assistant."

Kurotsuki then reached into his pockets and pulled out a mini-recorder before placing it on the table, tapping his finger against the play button before continuing. "And from the sound of things? It looks like they're finalizing a plan to take _all _of us out… something called the _White Knights Initiative_."

As each leader listened attentively to the recording, Tsubara was the first to speak, visibly confused. "Wait… White Knights? You mean the wieners from a few years back that thought they were going to boss us around? _The same White Knights that folded when I liter_ally _only told them, "No, I don't want to?", __**That's **_what this is all about?"

"Bingo, Nishimoto!" Kurotsuki chirped before looking towards Kiyoko and Kai, who appeared to be as bored as ever. "Now… our two youngsters here aren't very familiar with the previous version of said "wieners", but we don't really have to say much about them at all, really because… well, they were boy scouts." He laughed, rolling his eyes at the memory of said group attempting to find him but failing miserably. "Heroic wannabes that wanted to chase an idea that no longer existed."

"Well then, judging by how you and Nishimoto have described them, they're no different from the other trash that we've disposed of in the past, correct?" Kiyoko sighed, finally regaining her composure and placing her empty tea cup upon a coaster. "I don't see what the issue is, if they want to deter Kami-sama's will, they'll be slaughtered much like everyone else has tried."

"And? Don't tell me this is all you had to say, Stalker," Kai said flatly, sounding completely unamused. "If it is, you may as well start running for your life now. Not that it would help you, even with your whole teleportation act. Death threats are hardly new, and especially not from _cannon fodder._"

"Oh, Ayashiki, come on, you got to have a little more faith in me," Kurotsuki gasped, feigning shock. "I don't call you guys up unless it's serious business!" His small smile then dropped, finally taking a serious expression for the first time since he'd entered the room. "These aren't the same inexperienced has-beens from before… and regardless of how capable we all think we are?"

He grabbed the recorder, slightly adjusting the volume enough so that all three of the other leaders could hear perfectly.

"I think we should take a listen to this and give it our undivided attention… because this isn't a reform deal, crackdown operation, or anything that we're used to… _**this is a purging notice**_."

* * *

The entire front lobby of the building was quite decrepit, much like the rest of the edifice. Damage done by time had effectively ruined any chances of the establishment being restored to its former glory. The echoing of rain slipping in through cracks within the ceiling reverberated within the inner chambers of the premises.

The damp draft blowing in from an opened window closest to a noticeably relaxed woman blew her long, silky black hair within the wind. Her golden eyes took in every orifice of the building while she waited alongside her companion, as they both listened intently to the whispers of their leader conducting business within the room behind them. Though it had been years since she had come upon such a dilapidated building, it wasn't anything that she hadn't seen before or wasn't used to.

She looked to the unconcealed window, noticing a small, black cat watching over them as they stood in place. While a bit of an eye-raiser, she decided that it wasn't entirely out of place. She smiled softly, playfully waving to the feline. In a strange way, the cat seemed to respond with a small meow before stretching out on the windowsill, eliciting a chuckle from the woman.

"Guh, It reeks of ammonia, mold, and sickness in here," She heard the deep voice of her fellow comrade whisper underneath his breath, obviously somewhat disgusted by where they'd have to remain stationary for the time being. "I do hope that Kichijōten-sama's discussions with those ruffians isn't prolonged. I can practically feel the sin of this place _crawling _all over me."

The woman giggled to herself. Though she _supposed _that she understood his sentiments and would also rather be anywhere else than where they were currently, she couldn't help but feel the man was being quite melodramatic, if she were to put it lightly. The woman placed one hand upon her curvy hips, pulling out a small pocket mirror with her other. "Ishiwari Watashi~! Surely something like this shouldn't perturb someone of your stature~ You're one of our leader's greatest lines of defense!"

Watashi grunted, brushing a calloused hand through his wavy golden locks. "For as true as that might be, I'd still rather not grotle amongst filth if I can help it, _Hanakawa Etsuko_." He said mockingly before releasing a sigh, rolling his shoulders and exposing his muscular arms in the process. "And no offense to you, but such conditions aren't what I'm used to, I can't say that my tolerance level is as high as yours…"

Etsuko smirked, closely admiring her beautifully pale skin with her mirror before applying a touch of red lipstick to her lips. "Oh, it's not so bad, all things considered." Upon finishing, she returned her attention to the male, softly patting his shoulder. "When you've lived a majority of your adolescence in the lowest of slums on the face of the earth, scraping for food and shelter with every chance you got, it tends to make someone like myself a little less judgmental of such environments."

Etsuko placed her finger upon her lip, feigning being lost in thought. "As a matter of fact, such a place would be the equivalent of a mansion for younger me~!"

Watashi deadpanned, slowly raising his eyebrows before responding, "I am… sorry."

Etsuko wheezed, letting a soft, airy laughter follow closely behind. "Oh, don't worry too much over it, it made me stronger in the long run," Etsuko twirled strands of her midnight-colored hair around her fingertips, thinking fondly of the more pleasant side of her struggles. "Plus, it's admittedly gifted me with a bit of happiness as well… a lot of those in my care came from such conditions, you know?"

Watashi hummed to himself, nodding in agreement with the woman. "Indeed… you've been a wonderful asset in increasing our numbers, and though Kichijōten-sama doesn't express it much, you are a very essential part of our cause." He leaned against the solid walls of the room, ignoring the solid clang that sounded off once his greek-style armor collided with its surface. "You teach those underneath you quite well."

While Etsuko was admittedly surprised by Watashi's praises, she couldn't stop a somber smile from coming to her features, looking towards the ground as flashes of a young boy's face haunted her mind, seemingly taunting her continuously. She closed her eyes to halt the feelings of slight tears welling up. '_Not… well enough, I'm afraid…'_

"Hey! Hey! Wow, you look hella weird! Why are you dressed like that!? What exactly are you supposed to be?! Are you like, a samurai or something? I'm a little confused… it's not very cute though~! At least, well, I guess you're kinda cute or whatever, but the get-up certainly isn't!"

"Foolish girl, I am no mere ninja! I am a samurai and you shall address me as such, lest you wish to be skewered! Also, why must you speak so much? It's… incessant."

Both Etsuko and Watashi looked towards the commotion that had been transpiring from the opposite end of the room, the latter of the two glaring hatefully towards the loud girl with a high ponytail in the color of pink. "_Ayashiki_…. And his obnoxious purse dog… she is beyond the point of being an annoyance…" Watashi muttered. Etsuko, though outwardly indifferent, nodded in agreement.

"Manaka Yui," Etsuko sighed, looking away from the scene entirely, not caring to give the girl any attention. "For as dangerous as she can be, she's equally as insufferable, unfortunately… _much like the rest of her gang, apparently._"

"Hm?" Meanwhile, Yui tilted her head at Suga, seeming genuinely confused by her question. "Do I talk a lot? I don't think I talk that much, do I? Well, anyways, someone has to do the talking, right?" Yui huffed, pouting her lips at the slightly taller girl while crossing her arms across her chest. "You're about as much of a fucking turd as Kinya is, clearly—ara, well, I suppose that's too far. No reaches the killjoy levels that Kinya does after all~"

She then snapped her fingers, a look of realization on her oddly cartoonish features. "Oh! Except maybe that old fart, right over there!" She then pointed to a tall, domineering male with ashened-gray hair, who menacingly glared at her. "But! I can blame age for him, at least!"

"_Do not test me, child._" The man grumbled, his voice having an incredibly deep baritone filled with authority and malice as he held a sharpened sword with one hand. He carefully smoothed out a few wrinkles along his suit before fixing the cuffs. "And I'd take her advice if I were you, silence would be the most beneficial thing for you at the moment."

"Sorry, sorry~" Yui said flippantly, waving a hand at him absently and without taking her eyes off Suga. "Ah… what was your question again? Oh, right, right~! So I'll shut up whenever I wanna shut up, which… never happens, I love talking and only Kai-sama tells me to shut up, so you'll just have to deal with it, horns!"

Suga then growled, releasing her bloodlust gradually before unsheathing both katanas that were placed upon her hips. Her eyes shifted into an orange, fiery color, as blazing flames began to emanate from both swords. "Oh, I am sure that you're perfectly capable of being silent when a blade that's at least 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit bisects your lecherous tongue, fool! Do not annoy me further!" she barked, holding her sword to a slightly surprised Yui's throat, grazing her skin in the process. Had it been the wishes of my Empress, I would've slaughtered you already!"

Yui raised her eyebrows, with an expression that was a mix between confused and amused as she looked towards the sword increasingly becoming hotter and hotter. "Uh, wh—!"

"CEASE YOUR SPEAKING, FOR YOU SOUND UNLIKE THAT OF A CRAZED CANINE WITH FLEAS! Constantly yapping!" Suga exclaimed, bringing her swords away from the girl's throat slowly. "The only thing comparable to excrement is the waste that you spew from that abnormally large mouth, stretchy limbed one! I am as lively as the morning sun… but not for fools like you!"

Yui then tilted her head, keeping a curious smile on her face, "...What kind of fucking language are you speaking?"

A smaller, hooded figure standing closer to the tall male from before snickered, pointing a single bony finger at Yui. "She called you a rabid dog."

"Oh, is that right, Kinya?" Yui said boredly, "I mean, she's not wrong, and you call me that every other day. Is that all?"

Kinya tightened the strings of his hoodie, raising an eyebrow at Yui. "And she told you shut up again, in a nutshell."

Yui's eyes widened, a slightly goofy smile coming to her features. "Oh! Well, that's not happening~! Unless… you'd like to fight me!" A maniacal spark was present in her endlessly purple irises. "Wanna fight me!?"

Kinya then glowered, bristling the very moment that he'd seen Yui preparing to use her Quirk. "_**Don't. Make. A. Ruckus.**_"

Pouting, Yui rolled her eyes, lowering her arms before sighing exaggeratedly. "_Fiiiiine… _what a party pooper, can you believe him—!"

Yui barely had enough time to dodge a hazardous slice that whistled through the air, forcing her to stretch her neck backwards. She grinned upon seeing the obvious rage in the eyes of Suga, widening her arms and growing them to a gargantuan size. "Oh! So you did wanna fight~! Why didn't you just _say so_?!"

However, before the duel could go on any further, Yui's impactful punch was blocked unceremoniously by solidified, blue light that now encompassed a battle-ready Suga. Confused, Yui looked over to see Demiji standing next to her, his eyes in threatening slits as his metallic armor illuminated brightly.

In the next few seconds, Yui's hairs on the back of her neck stood upwards, hearing someone charging from behind her. In a frenzy, she then rubberized her body before she immediately felt her bones shift and nearly punctured her skin before they returned to their normal position.

"Kinya~! I told you that you couldn't kill—!" Her words were halted by the feeling of Kinya's sharpened fist burrowing into her stomach, mewling as her rib-cage wildly twitch before breaking into two halves momentarily.

This only made her laugh maniacally though, as her ribs only came together once more instead of ripping through her elastic skin. Hastily, she grabbed her attacker's arm and stretched her own, tossing the lighter boy to the side violently before forming a large bazooka with her left arm and aiming it directly towards him. "_You are too boring, you know that, right?"_

"_**Enough**__!"_

Before Yui could even have hoped to have fired a counterattack, however, a voluminous explosion surged throughout the lobby, completely separating Yui and Kinya from each other before crashing through the blackened drywall of the building's lobby. Silence followed afterwards, as all of the other lieutenants looked towards the grey-haired male from before, who menacingly moved to drag both Yui and Kinya from their landing points.

"I told Kai that it wasn't a good idea to bring the two of you along…" He grumbled coldly, right before practically tossing the two dazed teenagers outside."The two of you are supposed to be regarded as the Empire's finest and look at how you act… can't even go twenty seconds without being at each other's throats."

Suga, Etsuko, Watashi, and Demiji stared amongst themselves for a few seconds. Suga was the first to lower her guard, sheathing her swords and returning to her previous spot with a hate-filled glare. Demiji stood beside her, softly patting her shoulders before hugging her, which visibly calmed the girl.

Though Watashi's expression was quite judgmental throughout the entire exchange, Etsuko cackled underneath her breath, "Well, that certainly made this wait a little more worth it, wouldn't you agree?"

"Don't entertain them and their nonsense, Hanakawa…" Watashi grumbled, his eyes in slits as him and the grey-haired man exchanged heated gazes. "Though I am not a fan of him, nor his alignment, it's nice to see that Kobayashi at least has a little more class than the others."

"That is true…" Etsuko whispered, "Kobayashi Daichi… a man that even Ayashiki himself respects? As expected of someone of his caliber."

"What in the world is going on in here?!"

All of the inhabitants within the room looked behind them to see all of the leaders exiting the room that they were in previously.

"Well, I suppose that we'll be on our way," Kiyoko wasted no time in leaving, calmly waving for Etsuko and Watashi to both follow her out of the entrance, a command that the two of them gladly complied to. "I do not wish to stay here any longer than I have to, and the stench is starting to make me sicker and sicker."

"Demi-kun! Suggi-chi! What was going on out here!" Tsubara squealed, panickingly checking them for any injuries. "You all scared me half to death!"

"My deepest apologies, Tsubara-sama!" Suga said, bowing as Tsubara rubbed her head. "I was challenged by the stretchy limbed one, and my blazing temper had almost gotten the better of me. It will never happen again!"

"It isn't your fault, and it certainly will NOT!" Tsubara hastily grabbed both Suga and Demiji before pulling them into a hug. She then turned to glare at Kai, who seemed more amused by the chaos than anything else. "Mou, Ayashiki-kun! Control your damn mutts!"

Kai raised an eyebrow in response, "Or what? Is this your way of getting my attention, Ribbons? By telling me what to do?" He nodded to Daichi before continuing. "Because I'll gladly go at it with you, just give me the word. We can tear another hole in a city, and I'll make it your grave and bury you in it, what do you say?"

A switch was flickered. A malevolent aura surrounded Tusbara before she turned towards Kai with a poisonously crazed smile. "Hehehehe~ Well, child, if you actually manage to get me there, which is unlikely, it'll actually be a time of mourning for my family~!" She growled, her teeth clenching powerfully as she got closer to Kai. "But! When you die? There will be a party! And the air might stink a little less! _Actually, your boys and gals need a little more excitement, so maybe I'll do them the favor of putting __**you**_ _there! __**Your grave would make a wonderful urinal for them to do their business, wouldn't it~!?**_"

The two of them stared at each other for a few minutes. Killing intent utterly spilled from the both of them as Suga and Demiji quickly stood bravely beside Tsubara, while Daichi was not far behind Kai.

After a while though, Kai merely laughed before dismissively waving the shorter girl off. "You say that as if I can die, _ribbons~_" Kai then looked towards Daichi. "Let's get out of here, I'm guessing the two ducklings were at it again, huh?"

Daichi grunted, fixing the charred sleeves of his tuxedo. "Unfortunately. They're outside, and they've most likely regained consciousness by now."

Kai snickered upon seeing the massively gaping crater left by Daichi's explosion, as it was smoldered with tiny flames and emanating a pitch black smoke that was quickly filling the room. "Damn, you really let them have it, didn't you?"

Meanwhile, Tsubara kept her gaze upon Kai as he exited the building, slowly losing her anger before taking a deep breath. Upon exhaling, she clapped her hands before turning to Suga and Demiji with a warm smile. "Let's get out of here, guys~! I'm glad that we got that out of the way, those tetanus shots we had a while back came in handy today!"

Kurotsuki waved as Tsubara and her team were the last to leave. He leaned against the threshold of the meeting room's entrance before looking towards the cat on the windowsill with a soft smirk. The cat nodded back before stretching it's hind quarters and exiting the window, jumping to the outside.

'_I can always count on Micchi to observe and stay hidden,' _Kurotsuki whispered , turning his eyes away from the window and looking towards the ground, his face slightly more serious than before. '_Guys… I really hope that you all took what I said seriously… because in the next weeks, they'll be watching as much as possible.'_

* * *

_**White Knights Initiative Countdown: 28 days remaining.**_

* * *

Scarred bare-feet bled along the asphalt, limping with every step as she tried her hardest to escape the resounding gunshots and screams that followed her closely. Perspiration flooded down her forehead as she moved as fast as her injured state allowed her to. Was this all that life was going to be for her? A long, tumultuous dance with death? An eternal struggle for safety and preservation?

She couldn't understand how or even _why _things had gotten so bad in her neighborhood. It was a peaceful area for the most part. Everyone was willing to lend a helping hand to a neighbor in need, and they never had to worry about anything happening, purely because their neighborhood was once _boring_. It was simply your average cul-de-sac. At least… until _they _decided to flood their area.

But no, this wasn't the Empire's work, they operated in a completely different manner than this. No, these attackers seemed more amateurish and unseasoned. Almost as if they weren't used to such things. Their attack patterns were different as well. The Empire was usually never this sloppy with letting so many civilians escape. A new gang, perhaps?

If so, even in her injured state, she couldn't imagine that it was a wise decision on their part to try and make a move on Ayashiki territory.

But that was a thought that would have to wait for later. For now, she was focused on actually living to see that question be answered.

Her eyes watered from the pain surging throughout her body, feeling the skin on her left foot slowly opening, almost completely exposing her ankle bone before ducking behind a trash can. She couldn't find her sisters, they were completely closed off from her after the fulmination of the house. Though she didn't want to think about it for now, she was quite sure that they didn't make it. To think that her last memory of them could be her utterly snapping at them.

They… deserved it. That's what she tried to tell herself, at least. She slipped onto the ground, quivering as she was quite sure that most of the blood-curdling screams echoing amidst the carnage belonged to children. Children that she'd baby-sat. Children that she'd played all sorts of games with… all being taken before they could truly experience life.

Every single muscle in her body spasmed. It was becoming harder and harder to muffle her whimpers of immense agony, and she was sure that an infection was imminent after all of the dirt and granite slipping into her exposed wound. The pressure she applied to it while running certainly did her no favors. The girl hid among the shrubbery of a victim's backyard. She could see blood painting the interior half of their patio door and pieces of what she assumed to be brain matter sliding down the inner surface.

She barely paid attention to how much blood she'd lost, but the fact that keeping her eyes open was a struggle gave her a pretty good idea.

"Spread out, there's some blood over here by the fence! Someone's here!"

'_Goddamn it…' _She cursed underneath her breath, seeing that her ankle had left a clear path to her location. Her heart was practically trying to break through her chest as she tried to stand on both her legs again, but her efforts were quite pointless.

She fell to the ground once more after realizing that her foot wound rendered her ability to walk or run to nothingness. Her short, red hair was matted and unhinged, and her bangs blocked her vision, so she could hardly see much of anything without brushing them out of her way.

But by the sounds of the backyard's fence being broken down, she knew that it was only a matter of time before she was found. Desperately, she crawled towards the sliding door, praying to whatever god willing to listen to her that she wasn't caught in the crosshairs of those behind her, who were trying to get in.

Unfortunately, as always, her prayers were unanswered. _They always were._

"Oi, guys! Ah, we've got a real cute one over here trying to get away!" Without warning, the girl felt the ground shake violently underneath the steps of someone closing in on her.

She screamed as her hair was yanked with so much force that her body sprawled backwards. The feeling of her heel hitting the ground brought a high squeal from her throat as she pitifully struggled against the grip of her attacker. "Found her over here in the backyard, trying to hide from us!"

"Aw, now that ain't too civil now!" She bristled, hearing an incredibly hoarse voice coming from the direction of where she was moving towards. "Ah, and she really _is _a looker, ain't she? Bring her here so that we can get a closer look at her!"

Her eyes fluttered, signaling that she was close to passing out. It was either from blood loss or the pain that wracked her entire body as she was tossed to the ground, directly in front of a gang of criminals. In her blurred vision, she could make out the looks of the main one and almost vomited as a result.

He was overweight. Very much so. His greenish skin and head was completely covered in what appeared to be warts instead of actual hairs, and they also seemed to pulsate with every move he took.

However, what sickened her the most was his fiendish smile as he looked down at her, fully exposing his increasingly decaying teeth and lengthened tongue. Even as he was approaching her, she could smell the disgusting scent that radiated from him. She panicked, igniting her wrist with flames and planning to use her Quirk as best as she could to hold them off.

"Aw, it looks like she's planning on rough-housing with us…" He croaked cruelly before snapping his fingers. "It's too bad that I'm not really in a mood for a struggle right now, isn't it?"

In an instance, she felt someone step on the back of her injured feet, eradicating her will to fight in the process and replacing it with unfathomable pain. As she screamed, she felt her limbs being held down by the man's companions, forcing her to the ground and leaving the front half of her body open to the disturbing male in front of her.

Tears flooded down her bruised face as he got closer to her, seemingly relishing over how vulnerable she was. His repulsive tongue slithered from his mouth in a rapid flicker as he violently ripped her tank-top in half, completely exposing the top-half of her body. "_Ohhh yeah," _He muttered in a low, resonant voice that caused her to quake like a leaf in immense horror. "She'll do _just _fine… let's have ourselves some fun, boys!"

"**And what, exactly, is happening here?**"

In an instant, despite there being so much commotion from earlier, it was gone in a matter of seconds as a lone figure stepped into the area. She couldn't make much sense of who was responsible for the interruption, mainly because her vision was blocked by the mountainous male in front of her.

But the sheer amount of authority in the way they spoke told her all that she needed to know. He wasn't a part of this gang. It was made even more evident once she felt her wrists and ankles being unrestrained, causing her to quickly cover her exposed chest.

The silence was eerie. Her breathing was the loudest thing to her at the moment. The large male turned around, giving her a better view of who had been her unlikely savior.

And her blood instantly ran cold as a result. It was _him._

"Hmm… you're not any of mine," He calmly stated, sounding frighteningly unbothered despite the circumstances. "Do you realize who's territory you're on?"

Even if he wasn't speaking to her, she couldn't curb the fear that had overtake her as she crawled backwards in order to get as far from the confrontation as her body would allow. She'd heard so much about him, though never saw him in real life until now. Most of the men appeared to be in a state of both shock and horror, especially the overweight male who'd stripped her. However, his look of fear slowly faded away, instead being replaced by minor annoyance.

"What do _you _care?" The man growled, oozing an acidic liquid from the various warts that covered his body in a threatening manner. "They're all disposable to you either way, aren't they? You all are just a bunch of savages who kill one another off sooner or later, we're just doing you a favor, aren't we?!"

One of the man's henchmen roughly grabbed the man's sleeve, "Boss, please, I think we should just-ARGH!"

"But nothing, punk!" He yelled before slamming his fist into the man's chest, causing the sound of bones snapping to echo before his minion fell to the ground. "Everything I've said is the damn truth, and I'm not going to pussy out just because he's here!" The large male then turned his attention back to Kai. "You want us out of here? _Make us leave_!"

Kai boredly observed the male before finally sighing, "I was being merciful because your little misfits hadn't infringed on my territory, so it wasn't like it mattered that much to me," Kai then cracked his neck and knuckles, "**But if you'd wanted to die that badly, you should've told me sooner**."

She never even saw him coming, and neither did the rest of the henchman. In a split-second, all of them were sent flying in several directions as a blur slammed into them brutally, knocking all of them miles away in the process. Most of them crashed into surrounding buildings, creating human-sized craters and insurmountable damage to the perimeter.

Despite being too fast for her to even see, she heard every hit and the shattering sounds of bones caving inwardly underneath the screams of the men. Blood splashed within the air before painting the concrete grounds below until there was no one there other than herself, her attacker, and Kai, who merely stood in the same spot from before.

It was almost as if he'd never moved from that spot at all.

The large male's jaw fell open before he dropped to his knees in shock and overwhelming terror. He looked to the ground, finding it hard to so much as look at Kai as a shadow hovered over him.

Kai stood over him with a darkened expression, the silhouette from his dictator's cap casting a shadow over his eternally dark blue eyes. "**Know your place, scum,**" he muttered as a midnight-black smoke festered from his palms in small wisps. Extending both of them towards the male, Kai wrinkled his nose in disgust as the overweight man breathed in the smoke and immediately hurled blood before his body deflated in the span of a few seconds. "**And keep your filthy hands off my territory.**"

The girl watched in horror before covering her nose to barricade the scent of death coming from the scene in front of her. She scrambled to move further away, seeing the once utterly ginormous brute be reduced to no more than an empty husk before slowly disintegrating away with a single breeze.

In that instant, it was just Kai and her. He casted a look of disappointment towards her. The dark smoke that once shrouded him faded away into his body. After a while, he approached the girl, making her promptly panic before ducking her head and loudly whispering apologies. She expected to die or at least get hit, but instead, Kai passed right by her, waking in the same direction he'd been going before.

"You and everyone else here are pathetic." He whispered quietly, yet loud enough for her to hear it. "And you call yourselves part of the Empire? You're asking for death at this point, so at least be capable of defending yourselves from _nuisances _such as these fools." She stared incredulously at Kai's back as he walked out of her line of sight, his tattered cape casually blowing within the wind amidst his departure.

The girl's sight grew darker with every passing second as she fell against a nearby fence, panting heavily as she watched Kai leave. Despite the pain that she was in, she couldn't help but… admire his actions from earlier and how he'd actually… _saved _her. Granted, she wasn't a fool. It had less to do with her, of course. He was only defending his territory. Nothing more, and nothing less

And yet still… as she slipped into unconsciousness, her gratefulness overwhelmed the feeling of agony currently putting her out of commission. As her eyelids grew heavier and she drifted off into a deeper sleep, a single thought crossed her mind before it went blank entirely.

'_Maybe… he isn't so bad, maybe he is… and yet… he saved me… my… savior…'_

* * *

**Okay, so…. This was supposed to be finished much earlier on? But! Ya boi caught pneumonia in the middle of March, right after posting the first chapter. I guess it just sucks to suck, huh? :0**

**Anyways, so… since this was so late, I'll do something right now…**

**I'm going to extend the deadline UwU It is now on April 20th, so if you guys need some extra time? You now have it!**

**I… don't have much else to say! :'3 I'll say that the submissions have been amazing so far though, and I can already tell that the choosing process will be incredibly difficult, urgh. **

**Also, here be the casting list for the leaders and such!**

_**Hai-Hai Syndicate**_

_**Leader: **__Nishimoto Tsubara - VA: Uchida Maaya_ _\- Quirk: The Touch of Time_

_**Black Cats**_

_**Leader: **__Yasue Kurotsuki - VA_: _Kamiya Hiroshi - Quirk: Shadow_

_**Kichijōten: Messengers of Kami-sama**_

_**Leader:**_ _Kagurazaka Kiyoko - VA: Hayami Saori - Quirk: Kami no Kagura_

**_Ayashiki Empire_**

_**Leader: **__Ayashiki Kaikōku - VA: Fukuyama Jun - Quirk: Last Man Standing_

**So yeah! Anyways, thanks for reading, and I'll see you all later! **


	3. Casting List!

**So... hello everyone! It took me a little longer to get things situated, but I'm finally here with the official listing! And guys... let me tell you this; choosing was hard. very hard. there were so many great OCs that I was stressed to hell and back with trying to decide who'd I would select. But... it all came kinda crashing down on me on Monday. And so? I'm here, after finally working it all out. A HUGE thank you to my friend and kouhai, Butterfly Chikage, for all of her help. I am so grateful to have you a not only a co-author, but as a friend as well! You're like a sister to me! TwT**

**To everyone that didn't make it in... I am sorry. I am SO sorry. Please understand that at one point? I was heavily considering selecting soooo many OCs, but I am just... not as ready for that as I think I am. I don't hate any of you, I swear. In fact, I was elated with every submission I had received, subpar or incredible because I honestly had little to NO hope of receiving any subs at the start. It broke my heart that I had to let so many awesome OCs slip through the cracks, which was also what attributed to my panicking and stress. I hope that you all will still follow the story and embark on this journey with us. However, if your OC isn't in the story and you feel no commitment to sticking around... then I completely understand, but I'm happy that you at LEAST considered this little old thing. Acknowledgement is all I can ask for! Now! enough of my sad times! Here is the official list!**

* * *

**_Hai-Hai Syndicate _**

_~Leader: Nishimoto Tsubara - VA: Uchida Maaya - Quirk: Touch of Time - Monty's Cloudy Day~_

_~Assistant: Yonaharu Demiji - VA: Terasaka Yuka - Quirk: Gundam Star - Monty's Cloudy Day~_

**_Lieutenants!_**

_Asano Jun - VA: Shimazaki Nobunaga - Quirk: Empty Hearse - Liquidation_

_Urushido Suga - VA: Koshimizu Ami - Quirk: Swordsman's Incantations - heartattak_

_Kankyou Kiki - VA: Tokui Sora - Quirk: Nature's Repentance - Insanity's Jewel_

_Sanraku Juna - VA: Ishikawa Yui - Quirk: Quirk: Unkillable - Skyline's Tracer_

_Natsukawa Kyoumi - VA: Morohoshi Sumire - Quirk: Dragon Physiology - Yuna's Little White Lily_

_Hayashida Anri - VA: Mamoru Miyano - Quirk: Tech Wiz - Firealis_

**_High-ranking members!_**

_Haru - VA: Mayuka Nomura - Quirk: Sublime Slime - Askaroth_

_Taku Takato - VA: Yūto Sanpei - Quirk: Bubble - Arrow-Chan3_

**_Black Cats_**

_~Leader: Yasue Kurotsuki - VA: Kamiya Hiroshi - Quirk: __Kirā's Shadow - Monty's Cloudy Day~_

_~Assistant: Taniguchi Kunniya - VA: Saito Chiwa - Quirk: Mind Over Media - Monty's Cloudy's Day~_

_~Assistant: Shinagawa Mitsue - VA: Uchiyama Kouki - Quirk: Cat-Shifting - Monty's Cloudy Day~_

_**Lieutenants!**_

_Aino Benjiro - VA: Toriumi Kousuke - Quirk: Poser - The Sender and The Traveller_

_Karada Takeru - VA: Hiroaki Iwanaga - Quirk: Muramasa - seasel_

_Kunoichi Hitokuchi - VA: Chihara Minori - Quirk: Mouthful - JackHammerMan_

_Kurosawa Ryunosuke - VA: Kamiya Hiroshi - Quirk: Shadow Sync - And Then The Sky_

_Shield, Olivia (Bebe) - VA: Tagane Sakura - Quirkless (Apex) - Nerfherder-han_

_Motome Takayuki - VA: Okiayu Ryutaro - Quirk: Portal - Alteri Luxiluna_

**_High-ranking members!_**

_Okane Mirai - VA: Kohara Konomi - Quirk: Soothsayer - Sweet Shi_

_Manae Tokei - Satomi Arai - Quirk: Recall - Despol12_

**_Kichijōten: Messengers of Kami-sama_ **

_~Leader: Kagurazaka Kiyoko - VA: Hayami Saori - Quirk: Kami no Kagura - Monty's Cloudy Day~_

_~Assistant: Ishiwari Watashi - VA: Genda Tessho - Quirk: Herculean Incarnate - Monty's Cloudy Day~_

_**Lieutenants!**_

_Kamiko Yuno - VA: Sawashiro Miyuki - Quirk: Word of God - Flaming Fate Zero_

_Kazahana Mafuyu - VA: Yoko Hikasa - Quirk: Iced Shell - CalicoWhiskers_

_Shinkou Bokushi - VA: Hayami Shô - Quirk: Traumatic Operatic - Nirvana'sDemise_

_Sōzōnin Chikurai - VA: Yukinari Toa - Quirk: Inferno Puppet - ThalioTP_

_Hanakawa Etsuko - VA: Inoue Kikuo - Quirk: Arachnoid - Liquidation_

_Hirabayashi Shiori - VA: Noto Mamiko - Quirk: Youkai's Card - Penguin Thing_

**_High-ranking Members!_**

_Hinagiku - VA: Kitagawa Rina - Quirkless - Hit-or-Mish_

_Juryoku Saisai - VA: Nakata Jouji - Quirk: Surface Inversion - SSJ3 Godtenks_

**_Ayashiki Empire_**

_~Leader: Ayashiki Kaikōku - VA: Fukuyama Jun - Quirk: Last Man Standing - Butterfly Chikage~_

_~Assistant: Kinya - VA: Hanae Natsuki - Quirk: Skeleton Shift - Butterfly Chikage~_

_**Lieutenants!**_

_Asahara Maki - VA: Hekiru Shiina - Quirk: Devouring Winds - Roggi_

_Kojo Akaishi - VA: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka - Quirk: Bloody Blossom - OrdinalDragoon_

_Kobayashi Daichi - VA: Yasumoto Hiroki - Quirk: Chaos Reach - WhyDidIDecideToMakeThis_

_Nakai Kashma - VA: Ishizuka Unsho - Quirk: Ghost Arms - KirbzTiger_

_Manaka Yuina - VA: Touyama Nao - Quirk: Cartoon - Butterfly Chikage_

_Mochizuki Akane - VA: Kayano Ai - Quirk: Muramase - ExusiaiApplePie_

**_High-ranking members!_**

**TBA**

**TBA**

* * *

**There we have it, folks! The final cast! Thank all of you soooo much for submitting. NOTE: This is a huge roster, I know, which is why I need to ask a favor of you guys... please be patient? Not every OC will appear immediately, but I promise you that they'll all come! Each and every single one of them will have their shining moments and character development! This is something that I am ADAMANT on. **

**It'll be a bit before the next chapter since finals are in effect for me for the few weeks, so I'll see all of you soon! I love you guys soooo much! Have a wonderful day... or night! Wherever you all may lay your pretty lil heads! :3**


	4. The Sheep And The Wolves

_**Chapter 2 - The Sheep and the Wolves**_

_"No matter how much you fight it..."_

_**Bump**_

"_No matter if you run from it or hide from the truth..."_

_**Bump**_

_"**It'll only be a matter of time... for you to end up just like me..."**_

Crimson liquid decorated her fangs as the wind surrounding her ripped through the upper-half of her attacker's body, completely bisecting him and letting both sides of his body hit the floor with a repulsive thud. His face still held the same aggressive stare as it did before he met his life's end. The fierceness that his eyes once held was no more, replaced only with soulless eyes as hollow as the deepest abysses imaginable.

The familiar yet forbidden coppery-like taste splashing against her tongue was almost enough to send her into a state of infinite euphoria. How long had it been since she was able to partake in such an empyrean taste? How long had it been since she was blessed with the opportunity to feast?

And with the pally sight of inner organs covering the floor with disgustingly loud splats… speckles of ichor colored several spots of her face, warming her cold skin as it slowly moved from her cheek to the floors below. She shivered immensely as a sea of blood poured towards her feet, free for the taking. The liquid taunted her. It _called _to her, beckoning for her to fully indulge herself in it's sickening yet stimulating taste.

Her heart raced rapidly, seemingly beating at a thousand miles per hour. Unconsciously, she kneel towards the mutilated corpse, shuddering as she savored the iron-like smell of the bodily fluids flowing across the floor. A wave of pleasure surged from her body, all from simply _touching _one of the man's bloodied palms.

And yet… she resisted. for she knew that letting temptation overtake her would lead to an even more undesirable outcome.

Maki could only frantically gazed at the mutilated corpse that laid limply on the ground before her, raising her eyebrows curiously as the vermilion-colored snakes that once flailed wildly from the man's head now laid limply across his butchered scalp. She didn't even know this man's name. Let alone why he'd decided to attack, but he did, nevertheless. An action that she'd repeatedly warned him against, but he didn't listen.

Could it have been that he was a relative of one of her older victims? Or maybe just some random thug looking to put himself on the map as a potential threat? More importantly, was whatever he wanted to kill her for even _worth _it?

Maki wasn't sure, but it pained her to let such a delectable corpse go to waste.

'_You should have ignored him, Maki…'_

'_**She should not have ignored him. He was a fool who shot too high for the stars, and he was dealt with accordingly.**_'

'_He was obviously unstable mentally, Maki. You could have simply flown away-'_

'_**And risked being taken down from behind? Purely for the sake of mercy?! Do you wish for her to be killed?**_'

'_That man was obviously no more than a mere annoyance if anything else! There was NOTHING that he could've done to truly endanger her-!'_

'_**AND HOW ARE YOU SO SURE!?**_'

Maki winced while gripping her head. Her breathing was shaken as two incessantly loud voices threatened to burst her eardrums in half while they echoed in a distorted unison. She could never hear them coming. Sometimes, they were completely silent, and sometimes, they weren't. Usually, she was only able to perceive one over the other, but there were times like this where they both seemed to argue loudly enough to hear the two of them simultaneously.

"Shut… up," Goosebumps shrouded Maki's skin, which was naturally paler than usual. Her long, serpentine tongue licked the fluids staining her razor-sharp fangs. The windows of the apartments in the alleyway cracked underneath the air's heavy pressure before breaking inwardly as she grew more and more frustrated. "Both of you, just… **Shut. Up." **

"That's the bitch right there! And… fuck, she got Giju!"

Maki looked up to see a multitude of nobodies, all of which dawning an array of gaudy tattoos, tactical black armor, and weaponry. She cursed to herself. This was the LAST thing that she needed right now, especially when there was already a war within her own subconsciousness. She readied her stance, extending her palms forward as she crouched towards the ground.

Maki made sure that her footing was even and well-balanced, for the slightest inkling of poor positioning could spell the end of her. She wasn't sure how professional these men were after all. She tried to get an accurate estimation of their numbers. Twelve, maybe? No, there HAD to be more that were out of sight. She could _feel _it. She decided to not waste much time with the details, however. With how brazenly they began approaching, it was only a matter of time before they reached her.

As they grew closer, her body jerked and her breathing tensed as the wind encompassing her emitted a powerful howl once she blitzed forward in hopes of charging past them. The grimy alleyway was quite narrowed and littered with trash-cans, so moving past such a vast unit would be an issue, but… she could at least _try_.

Her slit eyes flickered to the first person to enter her line of sight. A tall man with piercingly orange eyes draped from head-to-toe in midnight-black bandages that extended within the air, seemingly ready to capture her. Her first victim, she lamented.

"Get ready, she's coming in close-AUGH!" In an instant, the leading member's head was separated from his shoulders, shocking the rest in the process as a tendril made of pure wind then relentlessly pierced through the lower half of his body. In the end of the moment, she could see several of the thugs visually panicking in fear of what they were up against. Most of their eyes were agape, filled to the brim with an indefinite amount of fear while others gritted their teeth in disgust and utter anguish.

Intestines spilled onto the asphalt before Maki rushed to the side of the crowd, enlarging the tendril before redirecting it towards the gang. She _loved _it. Seeing the immense vigor melt away from their faces was too cathartic for her to ignore.

"Whatever you do, don't let that thing come in too close!"

A heavy-set thug with sharp-fanged teeth yelled before covering his skin in a dense silvery material as the wind reached him. Though his protective shell was enough to save himself from being obliterated by her air, the powerful wind's pressure sent him flying into three other hopeless gang members.

Maki barely had enough time to watch as the trio was crushed underneath the weight of the man's hardened body, rendering their bodies to be utterly pulverized amidst a hard thud. The sickening popping of bones could be heard as the brain matter belonging to one of the unfortunate souls scattered against the harsh concrete. The rest struggled to escape with a shaky limb reaching to pull themselves from underneath the man.

It was all for nothing though… Not even five seconds afterwards, their limbs stopped moving completely before falling towards the ground. Several of the remaining men panicked and rushed to help their comrade to his feet and off of the eliminated henchmen.

This… felt too easy.

This felt WAY too easy.

Such a thought did little to curb her underlying anxiety. Who were these people... and was this supposed to be a hit on her? Maki wasn't someone that usually boasted, but she wasn't regarded as one of Ayashiki's finest for nothing. It made no sense to send a simple band of obviously low-ranking amateurs for her. That's what kept her on high alert, something was... _off_ about all of this.

Nevertheless, No one was watching her anymore, and she'd be damned if she let her one opportunity to escape vanish.

She used the distraction to slip through their vision and into a different passageway, watching as the path towards the streets highlighted her goal for departure. However, in the span of a second, her bat-like ears twitched rapidly, hearing what sounded like heavy movement coming closer and closer. That was all she needed for a warning. She side-stepped, rolling to the other half of the alleyway before feeling the ground violently cave inward, precisely where she once stood.

"So… you not only decided to make our job even more difficult," Maki's eyes widened as a massive fist, easily around the size of two elephantine creatures and made entirely out of what appeared to be gold, laid within a large crater as fragments of concrete rained considerably from above. "But you killed a lot of the boys AND thought you'd get away from us in the process!?"

Her eyes darted to the attacker responsible, sizing him up before more of his skin was coated in the shiny, dense substance. She could feel the resonance beneath her feet as he lifted his aureate limb from the ground, snapping her out of her shocked stupor. Looking about, she shook vigorously while desperately searching for an escape route. If that would've hit her… she couldn't even begin to describe the macabre visuals that clouded her mind. Promises of limbs torn asunder, the loud crunching of her bones being rendered to dust… she'd forever be thankful of her enhanced senses in moments like this.

"_You've pissed the king off, you know_? I'm going to enjoy dancing on your corpse by the time I'm through with you, ya scrawny little SHIT! Let's see if you make the same mistake once I cover you in gold and leave you as my latest trophy… your wind is nothing to I, **KING MIDAS!**"

_**CODENAME: KING MIDAS**_

_**Afflation: Freelance**_

_**Quirk - The Midas Touch - **__Midas' Quirk allows him to have complete control over the metal called gold. He can not only give properties of the element to whatever he touches, turning it into gold, but he can also generate the substance and manipulate it at will._

Maki noticed that the man's mouth was moving, though his exact words were inaudible for her. Was he talking? If so, what was he even _saying_? She'd never have any hope of hearing him in the first place, as the cacophony of voices that cluttered her mind made it far too difficult. Why here? Why _now_?

'_**Give in… crush this imbecile. Skewer him**__.'_

'_Please… let it go. Find the others and regroup. This isn't worth it…'_

'_**Kill…**_'

'_Maki…?'_

'_**Kill.'**_

'_Can you still hear me… please listen!?'_

'_**KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL.'**_

And just like that, it was decided. It appeared as if she'd have more blood on her hands by the end of the night, and for the moment? Maki was fine with it.

She bared her blood-covered fangs, resembling a cornered animal as invisible forces made of air covered every tip of her sharpened nails. No matter where she went, it was the _same _cycle. A continuous cycle that had gotten old a long time ago. She crouched to the ground, aggressively maintaining her position and waiting for her attacker to make the first move.

"Oh? Decided to finally have an ounce of dignity and fight back, huh?" Diamond-encrusted teeth made almost entirely of gold brightly gleaned through the darkness of the night as Midas grinned viciously. He was completely shirtless unlike the rest and had an overly gaudy appearance as well, with a physique that would make most bodybuilders self-conscious and hair that was strangely in the shape of a coronation crown. Lastly, he donned a robe seemingly straight out of Greek mythology that was draped over his shoulders.

And, by God, the man was absolutely _humongous. _If Maki had to guess, he was easily around 15-feet tall in height.

Even still, Maki's intentions were to kill and eviscerate. Large and strong or not, he would _not _stop her.

"Well… to make things fair for you, I'm going to let you get the first hit in, so come at me with every—-ARGH!"

Before Midas could finish his thoughts, Maki swung her hands outwards and released a rippling force of wind that broke through the vicinity, pushing the gargantuan man on his heels and sending him sailing across the alleyway and into the dark and dormant streets of Tokyo. The small girl growled as she raised herself from her crouched position, using all of her pent-up frustration to conjure more and more power into her attack. Meanwhile, Midas attempted to weigh himself down by morphing various other golden extensions from his body and burrowing them into the ground, but Maki was relentless. And with the force of a hurricane's push, Midas broke through the windows of a building's front entrance.

Maki, breathing heavily, stood still for a few moments with her palms extended. As the wind that spiraled from her hands faded away, she contemplated her next choice of action for a brief second. Could this be her chance to make a break for it? No, that was out of the question, she figured. This guy seemed as if he was the type to hunt others down if he had to, considering that he found her of all people first. There was no other alternative. He had to be _killed. _

She slowed her breathing as she allowed the winds under her control to swiftly carry her forward. She always felt so _light_ within the wind's elevation, but she didn't have time to bask in the feeling at this moment. Maki then increased the velocity of the wind exponentially before rushing in on his position, relishing in how defenseless and unguarded he was… almost as if he was an injured gazelle awaiting to be ripped to shreds by the claws of a lion.

The building he'd crashed through had a rather annoying alarm that blared powerfully, but she knew that with Kai's complete control over the city, there wasn't any danger of the proper authorities coming to interrupt the slaughter. _Perfect_. She wouldn't have it any other way.

Like a torpedo, Maki soared through the air, evoking more wind to surround herself before violently pushing forward. The winds surrounding her sliced and broke through every inch of the building's front side, as windows, brick and mortar were all shredded to a minuscule level. The wind's demonic growl collided with the pitiful wails of pedestrians that sped from the scene, screaming in terror as Maki's current carried several automobiles along with her. Some of them were sent careening towards unlucky civilians, crushing them underneath their immense weight.

However, Maki could care less and never passed them a single glance as she honed in on Midas. _He_ was her only priority at the moment. She'd save feeling guilty for later.

"Heh..." Finally recovering from the impact of Maki's wind, Midas chuckled darkly, now unshielding his face as the ground was covered by liquefied gold emitting from beneath his feet. "That actually managed to kinda hurt! Maybe I had you pegged the wrong way all along!"

"You were an idiot to think I'd go down so easily anyway," Maki sneered, floating within the air as the wind's powerful currents carried her high above the ground. She made sure to pay close attention to the distance that Midas' gold traveled, not allowing him to get the drop on her in the slightest. "I didn't get to be a lieutenant by being a pushover, you fool."

"_Feisty too_…" Midas grinned as massive extensions protruded from his back, threateningly displaying their serrated tips before a growl arose from his throat. Maki's sneer deepened at their appearance. If she weren't careful, those tips could cut through her as easily as a knife through butter. Meanwhile, Midas laughed internally. All of Maki's attention was on his extensions and away from the golden liquidation.

'_Bingo…'_

In an instant, the liquefied gold that encompassed the floors solidified and created enormous pillars that shot from the floors in an intricate pattern, threatening to break Maki in half. Her eyes widened, quickly manipulating her wind to send her towards several directions in a rapid succession. She timed her movements perfectly, carefully moving out of the range of every pillar as they utterly demolished and minimized the inner structure of the building.

As debris rained from the ceiling and practically everywhere else, Maki made great use of the destruction, circulating her wind wildly to create a powerful maelstrom of detritus over her position in hopes that she'd be able to hide herself until she could plan ahead.

She noticed one thing about Midas and his attacks. While powerful, there was a severe lack of finesse that she could place almost instantly. He'd be more of a threat if his control was a lot more refined and polished. Her wind currents only grew stronger with every passing second, frustrating Midas as he seemed to have trouble with staying in one specific spot because of it.

'_His balancing is trash too, and he's just attacking with no real plan, there isn't really much thought in what he's doing…' _Maki smirked cruelly. Was this _really _the best they had to offer in getting rid of her? '_Too easy, all power and zero brains…' _

Once again, a shiver surged down her spine, warning her of imminent danger. Her large ears were able to place the sounds of cracking from above, putting her on edge as she gracefully carried herself out of the edifice and into the streets at the blink of an eye.

And, of course, that one move proved to be a crucial one as the establishment's foundation had fully shattered from the heavy impact of Midas' brute force. The thunderous rumbling that blared through Maki's ears as she circled the building filled her with a remarkably powerful feeling of satisfaction. Embrittled glassware, bricks, and metallic foliage flew from all sides, compelling her to use her winds to blow them in the opposite direction as to nor be deterred by them cluttering her eyes.

She didn't want to get too cocky just yet though. She knew that wasn't all there was to it.

As the roof of the building finally hit the ground, it endlessly shook the streets and left the entire area in shambles. There was an endless cloud of smoke that completely overtook the areas and infested the lungs of those who were unfortunate enough to still be within the perimeter. The blood-curdling screams of the townsfolk were loud enough to echo amongst the carnage, creating an endless wall of noise to surge through Maki's ears. It was enough to give her a very _faint _inkling of guilt.

Once the enormous fragments of metal and glass from the decimation entered her wind's pull, Maki floated in front of the marauded structure, her eyes as sharp as a hawk's predatory gaze as she scanned the disarray for any signs of suspicious movement. The smoke and abundance of the building's remnants made such an endeavor much more challenging than she'd liked to admit, however.

She clicked her tongue in annoyance. With the flick of her wrist, Maki slowly orchestrated a large mass of air that emitted between her palms and rose above her head, controlling and expanding its size as it seemed to have formed enlarged appendages. The shape of the massive construct of wind gradually began to resemble that of a mountainous bear, even going as far to release a mighty howl that sounded violent and uncontainable. The resounding roar was almost _exactly_ the same as the creature it took the appearance of.

'_Let's see how well you can hide from this, your highness…' _Maki struggled to keep the form necessary to create such a complex construct of wind, but she _knew _that if he were somewhere in that rubble, he wasn't dead. That alone made her actions feel worth it as she then poised in the air with fingers arched and her body lowered before thrusting forward, conducting the large construct to blitz through the area at a speed that caught even herself off-guard.

Complete and utter chaos followed in its wake. Every inch of the clutter left in the destruction of the building was sent into several directions, tearing through numerous properties. There were a few unlucky souls that were caught within the whirlwind of havoc, with blood spilling into the cold, bellowing winds of the wind-based beast.

And finally, there was nothing left. Only a very pitiful semblance of the premises' foundation remained. No corpse in sight from what she could see. Maki grunted underneath her breath. There was a chance that he'd been blown away within the wreckage of the building, which was fine by her, but she wanted to at least see his body in order to quell a few of her doubts.

'_**He's still here. Look for him, Maki. Maki. Maki. Maki. Maki—!**_'

"Stop…! Just… **STOP—AAGH!**"

It was completely unexpected, so much so that her heart dangerously thumped harder than what was considered normal. An enormous wave of pain hit her like a train as something cold and heavy penetrated her leg with the force of a cannonball. Her body quaked and quivered, unable to endear the agony any further while losing control of her wind and descending towards the ground. The wind that once carried her dissipated immediately once Maki brutally crashed in a heap, slamming her back against the window of a parked automobile before bouncing onto the asphalt.

Her pointed teeth bumped against the concrete, knocking a few of them loose before she turned to the side and crudely spat out blood and… a piece of her own tongue? She could hardly taste anything, though the flooding of ichor within her mouth was apparent as it then slid to the back of her throat. She gagged from the sudden sensation of her crimson fluid choking her before releasing a strangled gasp. All of the momentary adrenaline preventing her from feeling anything? Gone, and it left nothing but torture in it's wake. Maki, with her pupils dilated and sporadic, casted a glance to her leg and was met with a sight that made her surprisingly queasy.

A large, gaping hole of dismantled flesh, exposing nothing but a geyser of blood and bone surrounded by ripped tissue. There was a single piece of bone that was broken and stood out of place, protruding from the ripped flesh of Maki's left leg as her lower calf seemed as if it was outright dangling from her body by a few strings. It was, however, far from her worst injury. That didn't change the fact that it _hurt _to absolutely no end though.

Maki, struggling to comprehend her newest wound, had never noticed the looming figure approaching her with an aura of pure malevolence. A bloodied tendril of pure gold floated high within the skies above the streets of Tokyo, overlooking the city like a giant serpent. The heavy footsteps of someone became increasingly louder, just enough to be heard over even the loud screams of those who were still fleeing or had fled the area.

'_Damn it… I got too careless...'_ Maki cursed underneath her breath, turning her glare towards the man responsible. King Midas approached her slowly, with only a fraction of his body immersed in solid gold. There was a limp in the way he walked, and the assortment of open wounds and bruises indicated that he had not left the building's desolation unscathed. She at least got _some_ sort of satisfaction out of his misfortune. '_Maybe I should've taken you a little more seriously after all.'_

She wasn't about to let him have the satisfaction of even seeing her wince though. Moving on pure spite alone, Maki fought through the pain as much as she could while chuckling darkly at the large mercenary. "I gotta say, maybe you aren't as incompetent as… I originally thought you were…"

Finally coming face-to-face with the girl, King Midas stood menacingly in place, never saying a word as the solidified appendages jutting from his back aimed their sharp tips towards Maki. He was neither smiling or laughing. His face was fixed into a permanent glare that greatly portrayed how utterly _enraged_ he was. "Maybe you should've done your research beforehand, then you'd see that 'incompetent' and me don't belong in the same category. It seems like it might apply to you though… I'm going to _enjoy _taking my time to kill you…'

'_Then you shouldn't have led your shield down…' _Maki thought slyly, as her wickedly glaring yellow eyes saw that the left side of his body was completely unshrouded. After a few seconds, she waited, and at last, one of Midas' large tentacles expanded and shot towards her neck at a breakneck speed. For Maki, however, such an attack seemed as slow as molasses in her mind. '_There!' _In the blink of an eye, she shakingly pressed her palm to the left, conjuring and willing the wind to harshly push her out of the way of being penetrated.

Even as she rolled across the asphalt of the street with a harrowing leg injury, she could hear and _feel _the sheer collision of Midas' serrated tendrils embedding themselves deep within the concrete of the streets where she once laid.

"What the—!" Even with his brute strength, removing himself was a struggle which was clear by how violently the ground shook as he trashed about. Seeing as this was her only opportunity to end things, Maki would be damned if she'd let it past. She clapped her hands hastily before separating them, generating a circular ball of air between both her hands that expanded in size exponentially.

It grew larger and larger at an unfathomable speed and after a few seconds, a massive orb of twirling wind filled the night sky with Maki floating directly beneath it. Midas watched as ample amounts of detritus, fragments of glass, automobiles, and even the bodies of those killed in their clash were sucked into the ever-so-large vortex of pure wind, breathing heavily at the sight of all of it being rip apart by her wind… almost to a molecular level, he'd imagined.

She relished in the look within Midas' eyes while he struggled to pull himself from the clutches of the asphalt. The expression of complete and utter _fear_ upon his face as he realized that his efforts were futile was so tantalizing, giving her a slightly venerated feeling of euphoria.

"You bitch… **YOU FUCKING BITCH**!" Midas pitifully bellowed, watching the massive orb grow even larger. Frantically, he attempted to activate his Quirk, yet every inch of the gold that tried to cover his body crumbled into pieces. He had finally reached his limits and at the worst moment possible. "**YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! DO YOU KNOW WHO IN THE FUCK I AM—!**"

"Yes, yes, we've already established who you are, and I wasn't impressed the first time you told me, quite frankly." Maki stated in a bored and utterly cold fashion. "The real underlying issue here though…" Even with the colossal orb's growth, Maki twirled one single digit around, surrounding the ball with rotating winds that orbited the almost meteor-sized ball of wind. "Is that _you _came at me and thought that I was going to roll over and die so easily… _as if I'd let trash like you kill __**me**__._"

Midas froze in place, unable to control himself any longer as tears filled his once prideful and intimidating eyes. The once proud king of the underworld was nothing more than a sobbing mess. He'd never even realized his golden tendrils becoming brittle and breaking away into the mighty wind currents coming from Maki herself.

He had accomplished so much in the span of a few years. He'd garnered a large following in an age where if someone wasn't a part of the big four, they were doomed. He was supposed to be the exception. He put in as much work as he could, he'd spent sleepless nights _just _so he could say that he was on the same level as the likes of Ayashiki, Kichijoten, and even Timeless.

And yet, here he was… broken and unable to defeat a lieutenant of the Empire. He failed to conquer someone who was supposed to be _far_ behind Ayashiki in power. Midas shook painfully, his spirit overcome with feelings of grief, denial, and most importantly… **fear**.

In that moment of realization, Midas realized that he was never the king of _anything_. The closest thing to royalty at this moment was none other than the person he was supposed to kill.

"Okay… I think this is enough~." Maki calmly stated in a voice that was eerily similar to that of a possessed succubus. "Goodbye, Mr. Midas. May I see you in hell once more some day."

And with that, she released the monumental sphere and projected it towards Midas. As for herself, Maki pushed her body as far from the drop zone as possible with her wind until she was flying across the streets of Tokyo.

And as soon as the sphere connected with its drop zone… pandemonium was abundant.

The very earth trembled in its wake, as the almost satanic howling of the wind could be heard from miles away. The foundations of every building within the vicinity were trampled and ripped to shreds by the heavy air pressure of wind slicing through _everything_. Every sidewalk, street corner, vendor, automobile, and construction was reduced to absolutely nothing but mere particles. Nearby condominiums fell like flies before landing upon the street, crushing everything beneath their otherworldly weight while tremors covered other areas. It was a continuous domino effect that lasted for what seemed like hours—even if it was only for around thirty seconds.

After the madness seemed to finally come to a slow end at last, there was nothing more of the once proud and mighty King Midas. All that was left in the wake of his demise was a mist of blood that blew within the remnants of Maki's wind and a giant crater, where a section of the city once stood proudly. A crater that covered at least ten city blocks at the max

If one could listen closely… it sounded like screams of the dead could be heard among the numerous gales. The screams of those taken unceremoniously by one of Ayashiki's finest.

_Asahara Maki - __**CODENAME: **__**Wendigo**_

_**Affiliation: **__Ayashiki_ _Empire _

_**Quirk - Devouring Winds - **__Maki, AKA Wendigo, has a Quirk that allows her to create and control wind in an area around themselves, which can be used for offense, defense, and mobility!_

* * *

Annoying.

Was that even necessary? Why did she feel the need to lay it on so thick with the overkill?

Kai sighed to himself, grunting disapprovingly at the needless damage that was caused by one of his lieutenants. He saw no need to send back-up when he saw the fight being initiated, as he trusted Maki in having the strength to pull through on her own, but there were a few moments where he was starting to question the girl. Regardless, even if she died, it wasn't the end of the world for him. They were all replaceable at the end of the day. He'd just rather not go through the headache of swapping them out.

He observed the destruction that Maki had left behind, tiredly dreading how much of an annoyance it would be to have fixed. Nevertheless, he was happy that the low-level wannabe was taken care of. What was his name again? Minus? He couldn't remember and frankly, he never cared to. He could recall it being stupid and gimmicky, that was for sure. Nameless canon fodder had _no _place in trying to make a move on him.

"Okaaaaay~!" Kai could hear the slightly exaggerated voice of Yui within the background, as she kept a close eye on all of the carnage. He could practically _feel _the goofy smile on her face while she tilted her head towards him. "So… that's one less problem to worry about, huh~? I mean, there is also property damage to think of, but blah, that's just a bunch of paper-work and phone calls and all of that other stuff, right? Moooou, why does Maki get to have all of the fun anyways!? Are you going to send me out to do something anytime soooon, Kai-sama? I'm bored! I wanna play too, and I promise that I won't make a mess this time, pleeeease~?"

Kai's eyes slowly moved to look at Yui in a slightly annoyed and disapproving manner, raising one of his eyebrows for extra measure. In response, Yui's goofy grin drastically faded away, causing her mouth to form a completely straight line before she pouted childishly. "Fineeeeeee, I'll just go and spar with someone in the base then~!" Yui gave an animated salute as she awkwardly backed away and skipped past the threshold of his office and out into the halls.

Kai watched as she exited the room and sighed to himself before picking up his cell phone and searching through his contact list… which was admittedly not as long as one would expect so finding the name of who he needed to wasn't much of a chore. He noticed the direction of which Maki was sent flying towards and knew exactly who to call on for picking the young lieutenant up. Someone who was possibly the greatest melee fighter of the entire gang, other than himself of course because _no one _was better than him.

He glanced back down at the papers in front of him and came to an abrupt decision. '_You know what, fuck this. She can deal with the consequences herself.'_

* * *

Her sharp, hazel-colored eyes shined brightly within the darkness of her spaciously hollow chamber of combat, carefully surveying the area for the smallest inkling of movement. The reddish and spiky flare of her ponytail resembled a roaring flame that matched her heated aura of pure intensity. She could hear slight rumblings within several parts of the room as she searched for her soon-to-be prey. They were gunning for an ambush on all sides. A clever yet dated strategy, but she couldn't say she blamed them much for utilizing the one possibility that they had against her.

Within the corner of her eyes, she could see an approaching figure with long, blue hair racing towards her at an incredulous speed. A small glimpse of azure-colored eyes, a wicked smile… This was definitely Asya and her speed manipulation Quirk at work. Instinctively, Akane formed metallic gauntlets with electricity sparking from the protruding spikes on both of her knuckles as she entered a combat-ready stance. Though fast, Asya was quite predictable in her approach, which allowed for Akane to spin towards her direction and feel as her armored fist slammed directly into Asya's jaw.

The harsh sound of the poor girl's chin snapping into pieces made even Akane cringe before she effortlessly grabbed the dazed girl's extended arm and tossed her over the shoulder and into the unforgiving concrete below. Not even a second afterwards, Akane noticed a shadow coming from above. Knowing that it was none other than one of her heavyweight subordinates, the thought beckoned for her to hurriedly twist and snap Asya's arm in a brutalizing fashion and back-flip several times to avoid the massive weight that threatened to break her in half.

"fuuUUUUCK!" Aysa let out a pained squeal as a hefty male landed on her broken arm, further embrittling and tearing apart her fractured limb as she passed out almost instantly from the pain. The man responsible, who closely resembled a boar in appearance, couldn't help but shriek once he saw the young girl's state as he offered a frantic apology… which ended up leading to his downfall as the feeling of a massive and bludgeoning hammer embedded itself within his side and pulverized his rib-cage as easily as a shoe crushing an ant. He wailed pathetically as he spewed a geyser of blood from his mouth while his body was sent sailing, no, _crashing_ against the surface of a near-by wall.

It was no coincidence that as soon as the boar-like male hit the floor, a black-haired subordinate with a girlish look and a pained expression followed him there whilst sprawling atop of the largest male's stomach. Akane knew of how dangerous their camouflage Quirk was, but she'd also noticed footprints along the dust that led towards their position. All she needed was that one unlikely opportunity to take them out of the equation and it was child's play from there.

Normally, exercises like this would be much more fulfilling. Hell, Akane would even go as far as to say that it was actually rather fun to have these random spars with her subordinates. Their determination and drive to finally overtake her made the rush of fighting with her back against the wall utterly captivating.

Yet, for some odd reason, she felt a lot less of the drive and passion that she'd usually felt from them, and it _greatly_ disappointed her.

'_Sloppy…' _Akane sighed. They were usually _so _much better than this. She couldn't fathom why they seemed so distracted in the first place. Nevertheless, she'd make sure that they paid for their unrefined tactics, regardless of how badly she needed to hurt them in the process. They were trained by the best fighter in the empire for god's sake, and she'd sooner roll over into her own grave than see them embarrass her in such a pitiful fashion. '_Looks like we'll have to start doing this a lot more often.' _

She sighed, easily tossing her large, metal-infused hammer to her opposite hand before lifting the other one to effortlessly catch a strength-enhanced punch coming from another one of her heavy-hitters. She morphed her gauntlet gloves with shock-absorbing material to tank the blow without her hand suffering from any repercussions. Danjuro, A lean young teenager with emerald-green eyes and long, shaggy hair pursed his lips as he tried to escape her grasp, but she only tightened her grip in response.

"Oh shit—AAAAAAAAAH!" He then released what was quite possibly the most girlish scream that Akane had ever heard a man conjure as the amount of pressure applied to his hand caused their inner bones to break apart and splinter through the skin of his fingers and palm. The way that he painfully fought to maneuver from her clutches almost made her feel the smallest inkling of pity for him. _Almost. _

"That was way too straightforward, Danjuro," Akane glanced at the boy disapprovingly before utilizing all of her upper body strength to toss him high within before steadying her hammer and standing it up against its handle. She watched boredly as he fell against the hammer's head, pursing her lips as it sunk deeper into his abdomen. "It's one thing if I can hear you coming, but if you're just blindly throwing punches like this is some sort of shounen anime, then you're going—_oh, that's disgusting…_"

She grimaced at a rush of vomit spewing from the boy's mouth as he reached his landing. Moving with lightning-esque reflexes, she grasped her hammer's handle to ensure that it wasn't tarnished by the boy's bile. The unsavory image of his face falling _straight _into a puddle of his own expelled bodily fluids was enough to make even herself somewhat nauseous, and god _knows_ that she'd seen much worse in her lifetime.

A gust of heated wind lightly grazed her neck, and she took _zero _chances by moving her head to the side to avoid a large, fiery orb of an all-while flame. Considering the fact that the blazing orb moved in a continuous line and merely burned through the brick-made walls of the enclosed environment, Akane figured that the temperature of the attack was up to at _least_ six thousand degrees Fahrenheit. She knew _exactly _who was responsible for this attack. Akane quickly spun in her heels, tossing her hammer to the side and towards a winged subordinate closing in on her before instantaneously materializing a massive shield made of a solid-black material. Akane stared intensely towards her would-be attacker.

Her hazel eyes were cold and calculating as they clashed against the scintillating, snow-white gaze of a hooded young girl in black robes whose long, luscious white locks flowed from underneath the hood's cover. The sleeves of her robe were tattered and burned, revealing the runic tattoos covering her arms as they shared the same light and hue of milk-colored flames that encompassed her limbs. The girl hovered from the ground, carried by the fire ignited from the soles of her boots as she glared upon her master.

"Mana-chan…" Akane whispered. Here stood a member of her sector that easily trumped most of the others, both in Quirk power _and _battle prowess. A girl that had a drive to better herself unlike anyone she'd ever seen since she was a teenager. What made this girl so admirable for her was the fact that with each encounter they had with each other, Akane was reminded of herself from a few years back. Unwavering, fearless, and _never _afraid to back away from a challenge. "And here I thought you might've been out on patrol and I wouldn't get the chance to face you with the others."

"My apologies, Heichou-senpai," her voice was whispery and light, filled with the powerful sense of respect and discipline that she'd expect from one of her most treasured warriors. "But I simply could not miss out on this glorious opportunity to show you how far I've come since our last showdown. Rest assured that I will _not _disappoint you like the rest, **Heichou-senpai**...~"

_**Codename: **__Mana_

_**Affiliation: **__Ayashiki Empire_

_**Quirk: **__White Devil - White Devil allows Mana to generate powerful flames that can reach between 5,000-8,000 degrees Fahrenheit. At first glance, it seems like a standard flame Quirk. However, Mana's Quirk is also capable of creating complex constructs from her flames at will. The downside? the range of her fire-power leaves more to be desired once her Quirk is overused! _

"Fire!" A resounding shot bellowed throughout the area and sent her nerves and senses into a frenzy, prompting Akane to take her eyes away from Mana for a brief second and swing her enormous shield to collide violently against what appeared to be a blistering hot cannonball. Really? If _this_ was the best they could offer by this point, then they could simply get out of the way and let her and Mana spar in peace.

Using every single bit of physical power that she could muster, Akane deflected the cannonball towards another direction. She ducked low towards the ground as most of her underlings panicked from the ricocheting ball connecting with every surface of the room. Several members, including the one with cannon arms who was responsible for the shot, were immediately knocked unconscious from the cannonball slamming horrifically into their skulls until only Mana and Akane remained.

The cannonball finally sailed in the direction of Mana at a speed that Akane was sure could've knocked her head off of her shoulders, but she knew Mana more than anyone else within her group. Something so mundane would never be enough to put her down.

And sure enough, she was as right as always. Even when the cannonball was nothing less than a mere blur, and even when all of her other subordinates failed miserably to escape the cannonball's line of fire… a resounding smack echoed amongst the inner walls of the bunker and the cannonball was now secured within the palm of none other than Mana herself, unscathed and unfazed while never letting her ghostly eyes off of Akane.

It wasn't often that the red-headed lieutenant smiled. It was a phenomenon that only happened once every blue moon. However, with the amount of pride that she had for Mana at this very moment, she couldn't help but let a small and proud smile decorate her gorgeous features.

That smile then faded into deepened scowl, not of anger, but one of raw and unfettered focus as Mana's heavenly flames fully engulfed the now dormant cannonball. Within the blink of an eye, Mana's eyes trained on Akane before she suddenly ignited the projectile and swung it at an incredibly dangerous velocity. Akane, already aware of the carnage that was to come, manipulated the size of her shield and prepared for impact. Running from the attack would be pointless anyways, so she decided that now would be a great time to test the durability of her newest creation.

And as if there wasn't enough damage done to their base already, the fulmination of all-white flames once Mana's flame-covered cannonball made contact with her shield would be the cherry on top, that much was for certain. Her body was lifted off the ground as strands of her own hair were ignited by the mere burst of heat radiating from the spreading fires that followed the deafening explosion. A rush of pure adrenaline overwhelmed Akane as she remained gripped to her blistering hot shield and pirouetted within the air, ensuring that she'd land on her feet. Her landing wasn't as graceful as she'd liked it to be, but she managed nevertheless.

The very moment she landed into a crouch, Akane immediately morphed several tomahawks within her empty hand and wasted no time in sending them in the direction of a suspecting Mana, who effortlessly dodged every single one of them before channeling her flames and blazing towards Akane.

Akane readied herself, tensed and moving to slide underneath the oncoming assailant before turning towards another corridor within the bunker for a chance to recover. Feeling her arm burning against the searing hot shield, she quickly tossed it to the side while blitzing down the hallways to gain distance from both Mana and the hazardous flames surrounding her previous location. It was _hot. _It was so unbearably hot… The one thing that had always given Akane trouble while fighting Mana was the volatile nature of her incinerating flames. It brought about such an uncomfortable feeling within her… and memories that she wished to never relive.

'_Akane… listen to me, baby… I need you to take Aoi and never look back. No matter what you do, no matter what runs through your mind, __**never look back.**_'

No… now wasn't the time to think about that. She was safe now… well, not necessarily safe, but she was undoubtedly _stronger. _

"Ah, Heichou-senpai~! I've found you!"

Akane bristled at the sound of a familiar voice, signaling that Mana had found her. It was inevitable, of course. Tracking had always been one of Mana's strongest attributes. Her hazel eyes looked ahead of her as she slid to a stop, mesmerized by the sight before her.

There was Mana, standing at a much higher elevation than herself as she rose atop of roaring flames that appeared to be gradually taking some sort of formation. An ethereal body made of pure fire was manifested as several spider-like appendages outstretched and covered a vast majority of the extremely spacious interior. What appeared to be a group of eyes and large fangs shaped along the frontal area of the construct. Finally, with a mighty screech signaling the creature coming to new life, an all-white spider-esque behemoth made from Mana's fire primed itself and prepared to engage Akane at any moment's notice.

"This was fun, Heichou-senpai," Akane knew that underneath her hooded robe, Mana was grinning devilishly as ever as she laid against the hell-spider's back. "But I think since the others are down for the count, there's no need for us to hold back, right~?"

"Hmph," And like always, Akane wasn't afraid or deterred in the slightest. She knew Mana like the back of her hand. Despite the girl's young age, she had always been unnaturally gifted and had an insatiable hunger to battle like no other. Though she was quite lacking in experience before, Akane was satisfied to say that she'd made her subordinate a force of nature that nobody else within her sector of the Empire could handle… at the age of only fifteen years old. She formed a long sword with a blade that rivaled a street-lamp in size and another shield in the shape of a cross. "You're right… _so don't disappoint me…"_

Mana's shining eyes glinted into tiny slits, "_**I would never—**_"

_**RIING-RIING**_

The sudden ringing of Akane's wristwatch deflated every single bit of the looming tension surrounding Akane and Mana like a nail through an aged tire. Now, all that was left was awkward silence as only the chiming of Akane's ringtone and the crackling and popping of Mana's hell-spider remained. Akane was _beyond_ annoyed at this point. She could live with it if whoever called her had done so in the early-goings of her sparring session, but did it have to be right at the part where things got good?

And as if things couldn't get even worse, she looked to see that it was _Kai _of all people calling her… which meant she couldn't just ignore the call. Damn it. Sighing to herself, Akane gave a throat-swiping motion to Mana before answering the call. "Yes, this is Akane speaking."

"The little wind fairy is injured and somewhere in your area. Go find her and bring her back here within twenty minutes."

And without even wanting for Akane's reply, he rudely hung the phone up. Akane closed her eyes, clicking her tongue in annoyance. "Nevermind the sparring for right now, Mana-chan. _Duty calls_, as they say."

"...Mou…"Akane could tell that the young teenager was pouting underneath her hood as the huge spider of flames that she once stood upon proudly dissipated without a single trace. She kept her head looking downwards while her flames carried her to the ground. "Phooey… is there anything you'd like for me to do while you're gone, Heichou-senpai?"

"Yes," Akane looked at the damage done to the bunker, wincing at the sight of Mana's flames from before burning a vast sector of the battle-chamber. "Please put those flames of yours out and…"

Her attention was then turned to the rest of her subordinates as they laid scattered across the floor. Their numbers were simply uncountable at this rate, she knew for a fact that all of them were either unconscious, whimpering in pain, or dead… possibly. At least, she hoped that she didn't end up killing anyone.

"_Yeah, round up all of them and get them to a medic, I think I might have gotten a little too carried away with them."_

_Mochizuki Akane - __**CODENAME: **__**Arianrhod**_

_**Affiliation: **__Ayashiki Empire_

_**Quirk: **__Muramase - Akane has the ability to conjure any and every sort of melee weapon or armor of her choosing instantly. In addition, she can apply added effects to her weaponry and even expand their size to however large she wants them to be! The best thing is that no matter the size or shape, they are completely weightless to her! _

* * *

Guilt. It had been something that had been eating away at his soul all throughout the week, and he wasn't quite sure how much of it he could possibly take. Kai had given him an order, an elementary-level one that wasn't inherently complex in the slightest. All he needed to do was keep himself in control and not rise to Yui's idiocy. It's not like he hadn't completely disregarded her existence in the past, so why did he feel the need to acknowledge her on that day?

Maybe it was just the fact that they'd been giving orders and she was actively defying them… or maybe he was just in a bad mood in general. Either way, what right did he have to shift his blame towards anyone else in that building? What if they weren't the problem at all? What if it was none other than _himself _to blame?

If he were to be completely honest with himself, the latter was the likeliest of the bunch. He could hardly do anything on his own anyways, keeping in control might as well have been a part of that long list of things he couldn't do.

Kinya kept his head lowered, observing nothing around him but the cracks along in the vandalized walls surrounding him and the tips of his own dirtied sneakers. He already couldn't stand to have eye contact with anyone anyways, but with the overwhelming sense of shame engulfing his broken spirit currently almost discouraged him from even walking about so openly. Still, he had to make sure that Kai was safe and sound… not that he was worried about anyone hurting his leader of all people in the first place, but it never hurt to be a little more cautious.

Besides… while he didn't want to give himself _too _much credit, the one thing he did well, almost better than anyone else, was guard Kai at all times. Of course, that was because he practically followed Kai's every move and was always somewhere in the shadows borderlining on stalking him, but he digressed.

He was slowly starting to approach the double-doors of Kai's office but stopped once he saw who was standing menacingly near the door. And to make things worse, it was quite possibly the _last _person that his fragile mind wanted to see at the moment. It was Daichi, dressed in his usual tuxedo and seemingly cleaning a large blade with the deepest scowl he'd ever seen on his face. It appeared to be slightly irritated. Maybe it was with him? Kinya honestly couldn't blame him if he was still peeved off from the incident.

He wanted to… at least give some form of an apology for his actions, but he found that his legs were locked in place from sheer anxiety alone. What would he even _say_ to the man anyways? If he tried it now, there was a possibility that he'd recede back into his past habits of stuttering if he wasn't ready. It was one of his most annoying characteristics and he was internally somewhat happy that it was essentially beaten out of him, but it was also his reality once upon a time… his cruel, hopeless and upsetting reality.

But still, Daichi was someone that even Kai himself seemed to respect, and that alone placed himself much lower on the totem pole than the older man… which meant that he was above Kinya and as a servant, it was his own responsibility to make things right.

Kinya reached his hand underneath the hood of his pull-over, nervously ruffling his hair before releasing a deep breath that he hadn't even noticed he was holding. Bracing himself, he slowly eased his way towards Daichi, whose steel-colored eyes noticed him immediately before placing his long and intimidating broadsword to the side and giving Kinya his full attention. "Yes? Is there something you need?"

The baritone of his voice was almost enough for Kinya to cower away and rush back towards the side of Kai's bedroom door, but he resisted the urge as best as he could. He didn't want to waste anymore of the man's time after all, and he could tell by the man's expression growing increasingly more impatient that he didn't have much of his time to begin with.

"I don't mean to hold you up," Kinya stated, bringing his body into a full ninety-degree bow, "but I wanted to apologize for last week. I was entirely out of line, and I'm aware that I went directly against Kai-sama's orders… I'm sorry for my insubordination, and I apologize for forcing you to get involved with my mistakes as well. That's all I wanted to say."

Kinya maintained his bowing position, his anxiety rising to hazardous levels as sweat practically rained from his forehead. He'd never say it out loud, but he could definitely do without the infamous 'suspenseful silence' gimmick, it would save him from a heart attack. He was tempted to look up to gauge Daichi's expression, so he could better prepare himself for what was coming next, but that would be rude. So he remained with his torso bowed, eyes trained on the ground silently, as he waited patiently for Daichi's verdict.

Finally, he heard the man sigh to himself before releasing a harsh grunt in response. He saw the man pick up his broadsword once more, which almost made his heart drop until he realized it was only to continue with shining the weapon. "Just see to it that it doesn't happen again." He murmured, "Especially when Kai explicitly commands against it. I don't expect much from the girl because honestly, she's an idiot, but you're smarter than letting yourself get dragged into her nonsense. You're supposed to be better… so **DO **better."

Kinya flinched. Of course, it wasn't as if his response was unexpected or unfair. In fact, he'd argue that he was lucky enough to not have much worse happen to him. And yet… it was Daichi's words that hurt more than a blow to the head or a stab wound ever could. If someone of Daichi's caliber had expected so much out of him and was disappointed, then he dreaded even imagining what Kai might've thought about the entire ordeal.

He gulped, nodding his head to show that he understood. "Yes, sir. I understand… I'm sorry, it won't happen again. Excuse me…" He bowed towards the older man before turning on his heels and rushing down the hallway.

Those telling words would stick with him for as long as he'd lived.

"_You're supposed to be better… so __**DO **__better."_

He wouldn't mess up again. It would probably be best to lay low for the next few days—avoid Yui at all costs, keep his head down and his thoughts to himself. Do as others tell him to and nothing more. _That was the reason Kai-sama kept him around in the first place. _

_No matter what he had to sacrifice, no matter what he needed to do… _

_**He wouldn't mess it up again.**_

* * *

Kashma has always considered himself to be a very patient person by nature. It was a rather pinnacle part of who he was after all. Because of this, his level of tolerance had always been higher than others, especially compared to the rest of the high-ranking members of the Empire. He didn't think much of waiting because what was the rush? Why was the concept of fore-bearing so unpopular? It was an interesting conundrum that he'd likely never find the answer to.

Still, he couldn't lie to himself; it was getting a little _too _uncomfortable to sit against a wall for four hours without even having the privilege of actual legs and just bulky prosthetics. Still, who was he to complain, right?

He raised a finger to brush away several strands of the blondish hair that covered his purple-colored eyes. All the while, he grinned the same genuinely friendly smile that he usually kept upon his sharp features. He paid no heed to the ongoing sounds of blood-curdling screams and heinous laughter that reverberated throughout the infamous lair built on fear and strength. Kashma liked to think that the sight of him in such an environment had to be quite… _jarring, _to say the least. An overly muscular blonde with reddish prosthetics with paint peeling off in several areas wasn't exactly a view you could see all that often.

He'd been waiting on Yui since he returned from his last mission of disrupting a drug bust prior to her calling his phone and talking his ear off just to propose a violent brawl between the two of them. Kashma didn't mind. It wasn't like he had anything better to do in the first place, and plus, Yui was one of the few members around who were actually quite fun, even if she was a complete and utter nightmare mentally. None of them should have anything to say about it anyways, they'd be hypocrites, otherwise.

"Yoooo~! Tiger-Man! What's up!?"

And speaking of the (literal) devil, Kashma lifted his head to greet the pink-haired girl with a bright smile. Despite her alignment, Yui was a rather cute girl! If he would've come into contact with her for the first time, he'd be placing his bet on her being affiliated with the Hai-Hai, honestly.

"Ahhhh, there you are," Kashma effortlessly lifted himself from the floor, utilizing an invisible force that manifested from his back to propel himself high into the air so that he'd tower over the cartoonish-looking girl. As expected, she never even flinched and still kept a silly smile on her face (though there was a feverish glint in her eyes that he was _quite _familiar with). "I've been on my butt waiting for you all day! So what's this about a sparring session that you were going on about?"

The girl merely giggled, as her legs suddenly stretched outwards for her to reach the same height that Kashma lifted him towards. "Well, you might as well get used to sitting on your ass since I'm going to snap those prosthetics and stick them straight up your ass—oh wait, I don't think that's how it works, isn't it? I mean, you _obviously _wouldn't be able to sit down if you had two robot legs in ya, huh? Then again, I suppose that wouldn't matter much if you're dead, would it? Ah phooey, this totally just ruined my threat, I'm just—"

Ah, yeah. He had forgotten the one thing that practically killed all of her chances of being cute in her eyes. She was annoying. '_Always with the dumb-ass crippled jokes..'_

He cleared his throat, keeping a semi-serious expression before responding, "You know, you have a really bad habit of targeting the legs, don't you, Pinky? Maybe it's time to go back to the drawing board, perhaps?"

"Hmmm?" Yui tilted her head, which ended up turning into her neck spiraling outward as she stared at Kashma with a sniveling smirk. "Well, I mean~! I at least have the legs to make the trip now, don't I?" She then made an analytical face, pretending as if she was examining Kashma. "By the way, if that's a hint that I should nitpick your face instead, then I've got nothing to say, it kinda speaks for itself, soooooooo~!"

And now he was being called ugly by a glorified Looney Tunes character… okay, even _he _had to admit that her comeback was pretty damn good.

"That's funny." Kashma said with an ominous smile and a _totally _not-twitching left eye. "You're really, really hilarious, Pinky."

"I mean, thanks, but it's not like I care what _you _think. The only person I aim to please in this world is Kai-sama, so-A—CK!"

Kashma never even dignified her with the chance to respond as he abruptly squeezed her skull with a powerful grip of his ghostly extensions. He took pleasure in the sight of her small, insufferable face and head becoming malleable before spinning wildly and tossing the girl with every ounce of his strength, sending her flying through the glass windows of the edifice. He took pride in the echoing shatters of the windows filling the room as he kept a defensive stance, using the invisible extensions shrouding his arms for leverage.

The girl could border between a cutie and a nuisance, but one thing that she _wasn't_? A push-over. She'd **never **fall to something like that, and he was well-aware of the fact.

Suddenly, what sounded like a torrent of blazing flames sounded off from the outside, prepping Kashma even further. Past the decimated windows and in the night sky, a shadowy figure hovered within the air, with pink, torch-like flames firing from underneath the soles of a pair of sneakers, which were revealed to be pink and black as the figure flew close with a dangerously wicked giggle to announce their arrival. With a plaid skirt of the same color and a one-sided-off-the-shoulder top… and rhinestones sparkling against the moonlight with thigh-high, black and white-striped stockings that seemed as if they were straight out of a comic book movie... she was _here._

And as the figure finally came into view officially, a ribbon descended from their bubblegum-pink hair as the shadows from her bangs concealed her erratically glowing eyes. The only thing that _wasn't _hidden was the wide-spread grin that seemingly knew no lengths as it got larger and larger. On the face of anyone else, this smile would've been almost comedic… but not for Kashma. He's seen this smile and when he did… _massacres took place right afterwards._

"_Well… if you're THAT desperate for a little cat-fight, __**you should have just said—SO!**_"

_Manaka Yuina - __**CODENAME: **__**Loona**_

_**Affiliation: **__Ayashiki Empire_

_**Quirk: **__Cartoon - Cartoon allows Yui to have all of the abilities and characteristics of a cartoon character! That includes random weapon manifestation via reaching into her pockets, high-class durability, and even being able to stretch and contort every part of her body for maneuverability and to form weapons and gadgets! _

Kashma could barely react to the instantaneous speed at which the girl blitzed towards him. In the nick of time, he raised his translucent limbs to barricade himself from Yui incoming attacks. His heart thumped repeatedly within his chest as she suddenly made a _quick _zigzag formation in order to get behind him. Saved by instinct alone, Kashma lifted his tall frame from the ground and pushed himself high from the ground, using his arms to block as he watched Yui's glove-covered fingers morph into machine-guns and proceed to unload a blitzkrieg of bullets upon his previous position.

She released a mocking laugh—a cackle that was so maniacal and unhinged that it seemed grating to his ears, but he was more worried about the ammunition that peltered and left craters on every surface of the vicinity. Kashma was prepared, however. As he descended from the ceiling, he spun himself within the air, swinging his extensions to hurl himself towards a grounded Yui.

"Hmmm~ look at the little crippled blondie goooo, I bet you'd pop the fuck off as a circus attraction!" Yui evilly smirked, as she used the jet-like flames to carry herself out of his range of attack. However, before she could get much further away, she felt an unseeable force constrict her body as Kashma slammed through the floor with a thunderous landing that splintered the floor into nothing but tiny fragments.

Both combatants descended through various levels of the building, surprising oncoming Ayashiki members who were unfortunate enough to be caught in the fall alongside them. Ignoring the screams, Kashma raised Yui to face him during their descent. With almost zero restraint, he savagely slammed his fist into her cranium, finding slight delight as a subtle squeaking noise sounding off with every blow he delivered. However, her expression only got more and more unhinged as he beat her, until she finally slid through his extension's grip via shrinking her body to a mere string's width.

'_What the…' _Before Kashma could fathom what happened, he looked up to see the energetic girl primed and positioned to deliver a smooth, flying axe kick directly upon his head… all while her shoes _still _had jet-flames emanating from the soles. '_Shit, this girl is actually trying to kill me, I can't let that hit my head or I'm done…' _

Gritting his teeth, Kashma allowed the weight of his ghostly extensions to carry him backwards and, at the last second, used them to form an X-esque formation to block the incoming kick.

Unfortunately for him though, he was _not _expecting Yui's leg and foot to grow to the length of an entire _HOUSE..._ and he **definitely **wasn't ready for the flame to increase in size as well.

And from there, a brutal smack reverberated as Yui's powerful kick impacted Kashma's gigateous extensions, creating a booming effect as Kashma was sent sailing towards the final floor of the training rooms before landing on the unforgiving surface with a barbaric thud. Sparks of electricity flew about as he saw that one of his prosthetics were ripped into two halves from the fall damage. Luckily, his durability had improved since joining the Ayashiki… If not for that, he would've been a red stain on the floor.

But, _god__**damn**__, _his back and head hurt like hell.

A few other Ayashiki members landed close to him in a tragic heap, to whom he offered several apologies before using his Quirk and allowing them to quickly carry him towards his metallic leg.

"Ehh?! You aren't dead from that!?" He heard the headache-inducing voice of Yui screech from above as she zoned in on him with a nightmarish smile and an incredibly large scythe—wait, where did that thing even come from? "Well, whateveeeer~! I'll just fix that right now!"

"I think the fuck _not_!" Kashma bellowed as he greatly expanded the width of his see-through augmentations and waited for her to close the distance. The moment she prepared to bisect him with her scythe, Kashma moved into action and _battered _into her with the force of a freight train. Even with how durable she was, she couldn't help but release a loud grunt as her scythe was knocked out of her hand and she soared towards the wall before connecting with a devastating smack.

If Kashma wasn't so pissed with her turning a sparring session into a literal death-match, he most likely would have laughed as she slowly slid down a brick wall like a splattered fly.

He took this moment to reach out for his ruptured prosthetic leg before making his way towards Yui… whose head had actual… birds flying around it as her eyes swirled within her head. Suddenly, she smacked the birds away and grabbed one before breaking its neck, giggling in the process. "Birdie go bye-bye~!"

He knew that earlier, he made a point in not judging her or anyone else, but he heard one of the awakening members say '_what in the fuck is wrong with that bitch' _and honestly, he truly wished that he knew the answer to that himself.

"Okay," Kashma crawled forward, picking the girl off of the floor before standing her up and looking her in the eyes with a blank stare.

Yui merely countered his expression with a bubbly smile, "Hmmmm~?"

There was silence between the two of them for a few seconds. An awkward silence at that.

"..." Kashma kept staring.

"...~" Yui also stared.

"...So," Kashma starts, "Do you mind explaining to me what part of 'sparring' includes trying to take my fucking head off of my shoulders?"

"Gee, I don't know, all of it?" Yui retorted. She tilted her head, knocking pieces of dust and small debris from her head and… ears as she stuck her tongue out. "What did _you _think I was talking about, whatever that pathetic excuse of training is that's pictured in TV all the time?"

"Uh… **yes**?" Kashma spoke firmly, "That's usually a pretty accurate representation of how every sparring session _should _go? You know, for normal people?"

Yui was glaring at him now. "Is your brain okay in there? Do you even _have_ one? Because I'm starting to think that you're a little fucked in the head. **The whole point of fighting is to kill the person in front of you, is it not?**"

Kashma's eyes widened. Was she _serious_? He looked her in the eyes for any signs of a playful gleam. There was none. Fuck, she was actually serious. He released a laugh of disbelief. "The fact that you say all of that and then ask me if _I'm _fucked in the head is… _phew. _Okay, listen, that might be an option for if that person is actively trying to kill you, but if that person is an ally? And you're _their _ally? No! That is **NOT **the point of fighting!"

"You threw me out of a window." Yui deadpanned.

"Because I knew that you would survive it!"

Yui spread her hands. "Yes, and here you are, in one piece, no?"

Kashma crossed his arms, "and if I _hadn't been_?"

Yui shrugged, forming her lips into a straight line as she gave the most nonchalant expression she could muster. "Well, if you didn't, it sucks to suck, _weakling. _You shouldn't have been serving Kai-sama to begin with then, good riddance and beyond to your death."

Kashma couldn't stop the look of complete and utter disgust that formed on his face. Could he say that he was surprised? No, unfortunately. The amount of control Kai had over some of his underlings knew no boundaries. Even still, hearing her actually _voice_ these thoughts out loud was sickening and… quite disturbing, if he were being honest.

'_So much for not judging…" _Kashma thought bitterly. He picked up his broken prosthetic, _judgingly _pointing the metallic limb in Yui's face. "_You…_ need help."

Yui merely sighed dramatically, already feeling a makeshift therapy session coming around. "You'll break sooner or later, and if you're hoping to survive, it'd better be sooner rather than later." She shrugged her shoulders, moving around the man before walking towards the exit. "But I certainly don't care either way, and until then, I'm going to get someone who is going to _actually _fight me because you're a _boring fucking pansy! _Bleh!" And with that, Yui stuck her tongue out and skipped out of the room.

Kashma sighed to himself, opting to simply pay no heed to what the girl was saying. What did she know anyways? She never even had a proper education!

He reattached his false limb before finally deactivating his Quirk. He never paid any attention to the death glares that were sent his way as he staggered out of the room, planning to head home and just… _rest _for the day.

_Nakai Kashma - __**CODENAME: **__**Handyman**_

_**Affiliation: **__Ayashiki Empire_

_**Quirk: **__Ghost Arms - Kashma has two invisible arms that extend from his back, and he as the ability to enlarge them whenever he sees fit! These arms can be seen by Kashma, but others have to be within at least two meters for a good enough visual!_

"Honestly, what in the hell were you thinking in the first place? All of that damage and for what? For some street-leveler?"

"Could we… not do the whole lecturing thing while I have a fucking hole in my leg and a piece of my tongue and teeth missing?"

Kashma tensed as he treaded lightly, hearing two familiar voices approach him from the direction he was heading. The moment his purple eyes lifted to see who had just entered the hallways, he paled slightly.

Two fellow lieutenants… Maki and Akane. The latter, he hadn't really had more than a few conversations with, but he _knew _what she was capable of and wasn't very confident that he'd be able to take her down either.

The former, on the other hand… he was quite familiar with her. His stomach tightened the very moment she looked towards him and shyly greeted him with a soft smile… he took in her battered and damaged form. She was injured… _badly. _Even then, he just couldn't find it in himself to return her gaze as he silently walked past them, taking care to close the door behind him afterwards.

Meanwhile, Maki could only stare at his back disappointingly and sigh. He _still _wasn't over that day.

Akane, who Maki was using for leverage as the two of them moved on their way to a medic, noticed the tense exchange. She raised her eyebrow at Maki. "What was _that _all about?"

Maki simply stared forward, shrugging her shoulders as she tried to appear as nonchalant as she possibly could. "I dunno."

Before the two of them could take another step, the door on the other end of the hallway was cleanly kicked off its hinges, prompting Akane to pull a startled Maki closer in order to save her from getting hit. The two looked to see who was responsible with angry scowls which immediately dropped when the towering figure of Kai stood menacing at the shattered thresholds. His face held a stormy expression as his dark eyes honed in on none other than Maki.

'_Oh shit… oh no, I didn't even think about how he'd react… and he looks __**pissed**__._' Maki quivered in Akane's hold, doing her best to sputter out some form of a coherent apology as Kai made a beeline _straight _towards them. She tensed her body and widened her eyes before clenching them tight, not wanting to see what would happen to her the moment that he reached her. '_This is it… I'm fucking dead, I'm dead, dead, deaddeadededead—!'_

She gasped loudly from feeling him shoving harshly into her chest, filling her arms with what felt like… stacks of paper? Maki only opened a single eye and saw that her free hand was now carrying a _huge _stack of forms. Confused, she looks towards Kai, who was already on his way out of the room.

"There's your fucking consequences. I want those to me by tomorrow morning at the latest. I have better things to do than clean up after you." And with that, he was gone, just as quickly as he came.

Akane, who was only slightly amused by the entire thing, looked towards Maki with a questionable gaze. "Are you… scared of him?"

Maki never even dignified her with a response, instead shakingly looking through the papers given to her and grimacing at the amount of documentation that she had to sign. This would be annoying, and it was questionable if she'd even be able to finish this by tomorrow.

Still, she was lucky enough to still be standing with only a gauzed leg and nothing _worse._

"Just… get me to a medic, please… _Also, do you have a pen?"_

* * *

It was _loud_. Way too overly loud for his sensitive ears. Of course, he wasn't sure what else he expected from a _nightclub _of all places. Still, after the strenuous week he'd been having, a little time away from that cluttered and unpalatable tower that _Kai _called a base could make any place feel like heaven. He ran a single hand through his slightly long, black hair as his red eyes observed the crowd of people amongst the gathering. Some were easily amused by the bass-heavy techno music while others were partaking in other vices. Drugs littering glass-tables within the VIP section, depraved men scouting out several of the dancers, no doubt looking to indulge in their lustful desires…

It was all honestly quite _pathetic,_ if he were to be honest.

Akaishi grimaced, shaking his head in disgust while lifting his drink to his lips and taking a small sip. It was bourbon, and bourbon of the cheap variety as well. Usually, he wouldn't have even entertained coming to a place like this. Stepping foot in Shinjuku Ward wasn't necessarily something that he wanted to make a habit of, but if there was one luxury that the lively energy of the neon-lit area of Tokyo gave him, it was a place of comfort. The cacophonous abundance of noise in these sorts of places drown out the more… _carnivorous _aspects of his Quirk. The withdrawals weren't as bad when he was preoccupied with alcohol. It provided a rather gratifying moment of relief.

However, every now and then, there was a severe thumping that increased the intensity of his headache while looking upon the crowd. Though he was actively working to suppress his more primal urges, _it _would never make things easier for him.

"_...In response to the Ayashiki Empire's acquisition over the city of Tokyo, as well as the National Diet Building, sources report that the Prime Minister is working actively to find a solution for the ongoing issue that has been plaguing the country of Japan for several years. Journalists and reporters have tried to get a word on the situation from Sawashiro Tsuji, but the Prime Minister's secretary has refused to disclose any information…"_

'_Talk about incompetence…' _As his half-lidded eyes were carted upon the television, Akaishi couldn't help but smirk slightly at how utterly hopeless the entire government of Japan had been in even putting a dent in the spreading influence of criminal warfare. It had been like this for so long, even longer than he could remember, and there was no sight of change whatsoever. '_All of them are such sad cases…"_

"_Ma'am, May I ask about the recent damage done to east Tokyo, more specifically the neighborhood of Sanya? How do you and the Prime Minister plan on accounting for the lives lost there and all of the property damage?"_

"_I-I-I'm a-afraid to say that I can't give out any details on the matter, b-but rest assured that—!"_

"_Ma'am, what do you make of the statistics that have revealed the Hai-Hai Syndicate's numbers have reached a number of ten million and more in the past six months?!"_

"_U-Uh, I'm sure those numbers are exaggerated and bloated is all, nothing m-more, but a-again, the Prime M-Minister will have everything sorted—!"_

"_Are you and the Prime Minister f**king?!"_

"_Ye—wait, what?! W-W-Who are t-they?! They aren't even a journalist! Escort them out of here immediately!"_

'_Pure comedy…' _After finishing his drink, Akaishi released a condescending chuckle before coughing lightly and clearing his throat. A slight taste of iron engulfed his taste buds, causing him to wince as he sighed to himself. '_I guess I should be on my way…'_

"Excuse me~! Hai-Haaaaai~!"

Akaishi struggles to hold his already rising anger as he felt a dainty finger tap his shoulder. That greeting alone told him everything that he needed to know as he turned threateningly towards a… girl.

She had orange-colored hair that practically pained his eyes with how bright it was. It was rather spiky and somewhat unkempt, and there was a bow within her hair in the shape of a skull. Her eyes matched her hair, though there was a hint of madness within them that immediately put him in high-alert. She was cute… _hazardously cute. _However, the thing that made her stand out the most was the all-black armored attire she wore. There were several attachments to it that almost seemed as if they were important.

It was here that he noticed the scars along both of her unconcealed arms… one of them carved into her limbs being a disgusting kaomoji.

The revelation hit him with the force of a cannonball. He already knew that this one was Hai-Hai from her greeting towards him alone, but this wasn't just _any _Hai-Hai member. This was a lieutenant.

"Piss off, I'm not in the mood for conversations, especially not with the likes of child soldiers like you." Of course, that didn't mean that he was going to be _polite _with her. It was no secret that Akaishi **despised** the Hai-Hai, and quite frankly, he didn't care who knew it. "Whatever the hell you want from me, the answer is no, now go suck a railroad spike."

The girl merely giggled, seemingly unphased by the boy's attitude, which annoyed him to no end. "You would know a thing or two about child soldiers, wouldn't you..? _**Dog**__~!_"

He bristled, now turning his head to fully look in her direction with a malicious glare. "_What?"_

"Dog! Doggie! Bark-Bark, Kai's personal purse poodle! Mutt! Hound-boy!" An aura of pure insanity emitted from the orange-haired girl before she leveled herself to look him directly in the eyes. The bartender noticed the confrontation and immediately sent a haphazard warning signal to the DJ, who promptly left his post and ended the music. Needless to say, the audience was quite vocal about their annoyance… until they looked to see two well-known criminals staring each other down and flooded out of the club as fast as they could.

"Oh, would you look at that! The club's going bye-bye!" The young girl giggled before turning her deadly smile towards Akaishi once more. "So~! I have a question… a few weeks ago, some of my friends got into a spat with someone not far from this area and a dear, sweet boy I know didn't make it home that night because, apparently, some red shrubbery got to him." Her smile dropped, leaving her completely expressionless. "_You wouldn't happen to know anything about that… __**would you?**_"

'**lEt mE fEast.**'

Akaishi clutched his head, struggling as a searing wave of pain surged from his cranium towards the lower-half of his back. Nevertheless, he darkly chuckled before lifting himself from the bar stool and casting a blood-red eye towards the girl. "And what if I _**did**_? You should've taught your idiotic posse some manners and lessons in respect, _**child**_."

'**leT ME FeAsT.'**

"Hmmm~! You know it's funny that you say that…" The girl walked forward, tracking around Akaishi in circles before getting close within his face. "Because from what _I _heard, **you** were the one that started it~! So… what do you think I should do about that?"

'**LET ME FEAST'**

Akaishi, without warning, spat an inkling of blood directly within the face of the girl, keeping the darkest scowl he could muster upon his features. "I think you should do what I told you before and _piss __**off**__." _His body shook vigorously as a multitude of reddish vines began to extract themselves from both of his arms, causing the sleeves of his collared shirt to split in half.

And suddenly, the girl was gripped by the neck at an insurmountable speed, as Akaishi, with the flick of his wrist, shattered her neck with a loud and echoing snap as the vines burrowed into her skin before exiting through her throat and nose. He lifted her high within the air, his head pounding as the screams of those still within the club irritated him more and more.

_Kojo Akaishi - __**CODENAME: **__**Heartstring**_

_**Affiliation: **__Ayashiki Empire_

_**Quirk: Bloody Blossom - **__Littered throughout Akaishi's body are thousands of spores that are constantly dying and then new ones being generated for Akaishi's usage. Akaishi then has the ability to grow these spores into complex plant-like structures, controlling their shape, size, structure, movement and even their density! These usually take the form of various red vines, sharp tendrils and plant-like tentacles coming out of Akaishi's body, ripping through his very skin itself!_

'_All of these people… too loud… after you're done with this bitch, let me fucking go home to rest—wait...'_

Even as her stomach bulged from his vines eviscerating her inner organs and ripping her in half, the girl never even flinched, she never even _blinked_ at all. As his bloodied tendrils increased in size and expanded from her ear, There was still only an empty smile upon her face as she only giggled innocently.

"I'm sorry! But that's the _**wrong answer~~**_!"

Akaishi never even saw it coming… There was no warning that could've prepared him for his vines to be _ripped _from his body, causing him to grunt and squeal from unfathomable pain. His head thumped tremendously as what sounded like the screams of a Predator reverberated within his head. Shakingly, he looked towards the girl and saw her within a crouching position. Suddenly, fibers and strands of human tissue, blood and flesh covered all of her wounds, and even the fabrics of her armor returned to normal.

And finally, pieces of his Quirk were retched outwards from the girl's mouth, spilling onto the illuminated floors of the night-club… it was as if he'd never even attacked her as her once mutilated was now completely intact.

Akaishi glared viciously, growling at the sickly smile that was still upon her stupid face. "You really are cool, huh… _**Shinanai.**__"_

_Sanraku Juna - __**CODENAME: **__**Shinanai**_

_**Affiliation - **__Hai-Hai Syndicate_

_**Quirk - **__Unkillable - Juna's Quirk allows her to instantaneously reverse any and all damage done to her body, essentially granting her super regeneration! Additional modifications have given her sensory enhancements and whatever part of her body that is destroyed will come back stronger! _

"So I have been told~!" Juna giggled, as she kicked the remnants of Akaishi's weeds away and skipped towards him in a very ominous manner. "But enough about all of that!"

Her eyes lowered into slits, the smile on her face fading into a look of complete indifference and even her once cutesy voice shifted to have a new monotonous edge.

"_**Shall we begin?"**_

_**NEXT CHAPTER - False Innocence! **_

* * *

**I have a pounding headache and I can barely see straight without my eyeballs feeling like they're being prodded with a heated fork, but huzzah! I have made it to the end of this chapter! I am… sooooo sorry for the delay. It's been a wild time, lemme tell ya, but I'm not gonna come on here and spill it all to you guys! I don't want to bore you guys with that! Uhhh… I don't… have much to say! The next chapter will NOT take as long to come out, I promise you, but we'll be moving on to another gang for our next one! Bye! UwU**


	5. The Art Of False Innocence

_**Chapter 3 - The Art of False Innocence **_

"_**Juna… what have they done to you..?"**_

_**Bump **_

"_**What did they do to my baby-girl..?"**_

_**BUMP**_

"_**WHAT DID THEY DO TO YOU?!"**_

Pain. It was little more than a forgotten enigma to Juna at this point. Every now and again, she experienced drifting phantoms of affliction haunting her existence, but they were always so small, so insignificant that it only took a couple of seconds for them to dissipate and remain a mere memory.

She missed it, Juna truly did. Despite the discomfort that it brung, life was less exciting without the consequences of agony. To feel one's entire vessel being mangled and shredded in half before being discarded like trash to the wayside was something that a lot of people would never have to endure. For sane individuals, it was an unimaginable horror that they'd never wish to experience in the first place.

That wasn't the case for Juna though. She was quite a lot of things but one thing she certainly _wasn't _was sane. As a matter of fact, she was like no one else alive, she figured_. _She didn't treasure her body much like every other soul did, for all she was, at the end of the day was a means to an end. A monstrous concept conceived within the cataclysmic dregs of a human's mind. That's all she was, and that was all she ever _could _be.

Tsubara, being the utter sweetheart and beautiful leader that Juna knew she was, tried to change her so-called "self-destructive" mindset numerous times. It was a futile effort, however. Truthfully, Juna hoped for her to realize that she was a lost cause some day. Now, her current situation was a concrete example of this fact. There is no doubt that she'd face some kind of repercussion for her actions today, but Akaishi needed to know his place.

Regardless of his status as Kai's pet project, _no one _touched her friends and got away with it.

Her bright-orange hair was quite messy and disheveled, as large beads of both blood and sweat conjoined while slipping down her forehead. The left side of her face was almost completely unscathed, save for a gnarly scar that spread across her eye and ended at the lower side of her mouth. The sensation was no more than a mere tickle to her.

The other half, however, was an absolute travesty. An indescribable example of bodily horror that could make even a hyena gag in disgust. The entire right side of her face was mutilated to an unfathomable degree, as her once fair skin and soft cheeks were replaced with the sight of exposed facial muscles, a cascading river made entirely of blood, and the grotesque image of her right eye dangling from the optic nerve within her socket. It seemed as if the slightest movement would lead to the organ being separated in a matter of seconds.

And yet, the only meaningful response that it garnered from Juna was a childish chuckle while the uncovered jaw area of her skull stretched and formed a sickening smile. She felt _nothing_, even when she was expecting so much more from someone who's accomplished as much as Heartstring has. It was quite disappointing, if she had to be honest with herself.

In an instant, muscle and tissue began to overlap her previously butchered face and weave horrifically, rapidly repairing the injury until she looked as normal as ever. As her right eye was whipped right back into its socket once more, Juna winked playfully at a now shirtless Heartstring. He merely growled in irritation as he glared daggers towards her, ready to rip apart her face once again if needed.

He had such a mean streak, and she _loved _it. Even if he couldn't kill her, she knew that the time of her life had only **just** started.

All around them, the formerly bustling club was now torn asunder. Several areas of the establishment were covered in thorny, red vines that crawled along nearly every surface in a threatening manner. The power of these vines were quite strong, she noted. It was evident by the reverberating sounds of concrete and glass cracking underneath the pressure caused the plant's weight.

Juna watched with a well-trained eye as these plant-like extensions jutted from openings along Heartstring's skin, growing in size as he began walking towards her with the obvious intent to kill. She could tell by just seeing the hazardous glow of unbridled hatred in his crimson eyes that she'd finally poked the bear enough. Oh, how she despised both Kai and his insufferable pets, but one thing she could always count on them for was a fun encounter.

"You know~!? You're pretty cool, Heartie," Juna causally admired the fabrics of her suit, no longer passing Akaishi a single glance as she traced her gloved fingers across the neon outlines of her sleeves. "I've personally never really been much for botanical subjects, that's more of Kiki's thing, but you have such an exciting plant Quirk!"

"Hmph," Akaishi grunted, no longer paying the pains of his Quirk usage any heed as he suddenly made a bee-line towards Juna. "Make use of the little bit of time you have left to admire it, you fool because _**you'll be a victim of it soon enough**_."

Juna braced herself as he approached, now deciding that this was her chance to go on the offensive. As Akaishi blitzed towards her, everything within her peripheral vision slowed to a considerable degree. She could see _everything. _Nothing escaped her sight. Whether it was something as trifling as an insect or a piece of dirt falling from the ceiling, it didn't go unnoticed.

The red-colored vines continuously amalgamated to form a wider array of tendrils before they suddenly shot outwards, honing in on her position. Juna noted that they were aimed towards the lower half of her torso. A desperate attempt to sever her to allow for a quicker escape, perhaps? It was certainly smarter than thinking that he could last in a battle of endurance with her. That coughing fit he had prior to Juna making herself known told her _everything _that she needed to know.

Her body tensed as she slid to a haphazard crouch and raced to meet the tendrils head-on. Words could hardly come close to describing the palatial showing of athleticism that Juna displayed as she effortlessly contorted her body to impossible angles, all to avoid the incoming array of piercing tendrils that violently burrowed through the ground and finally reach her target.

Her feet touched the surface of the floor, practically ignoring the powerful tremors beneath her heels as she smiled upwards to a slightly surprised Akaishi. Quickly, he redirected his tendrils to curve and soar towards Juna's back, coming close to utterly splitting the girl into two halves.

Juna had to hand it to him. He was a lot more crafty and quick-witted than she gave him credit for, but she'd be _damned _if his attack didn't come with a price. She cocked her fist back to a considerable distance, ignoring a tingling sensation as the feeling of her muscles ballooned and tightened within her arm to empower her. Seizing the right opportunity, Juna launched a deadly punch directly towards his abdomen. In the blink of an eye, she could see vines instantaneously shroud his torso, most likely to protect himself. Cute on his part, but it wouldn't help him that much in the long-run.

_**BOOOOOM**_

Before her fleshy vessel was utterly mangled via the piercing tendrils drilling through her spleen area and exiting from her solar plexus, she was able to gaze at the sight of Akaishi releasing a pool of blood from his mouth and crashing through the entrance of the now abandoned nightclub. The area surrounding them collapsed from the intense wind pressure of her gut-wrenching blow, adding further to the intense sensation of her head coming undone whilst the right side of her figure hit the floor with a nauseating thud.

The left side of her body stood on a single leg with a blood-drenched side-grin once all of her missing ligaments and organs exploded back into existence. Again, none of it fazed Juna, and she wasted no time before sprinting into the streets to follow Akaishi. She completely disregarded the abandoned side of her body and even kicked the remnants of her brain and upper torso to the side as she did so.

Most of those who had abandoned the clubs were now speeding from the scene, either on foot or by vehicle. The deafening sounds of their yells made it clear that they wanted _no _part of this altercation. It's not like it mattered much to her in the first place if they stayed or not. A casualty was a casualty after all.

Juna continued sprinting, all while grinning maniacally as her right arm bulged to an extraordinary degree whilst she violently swung it towards whatever was in her way. The force alone was strong enough to create a spirituous arc of destructive air pressure, which sent several pedestrians soaring elsewhere while screaming to the top of their lungs. Juna, however, paid them no mind whatsoever. If they were still in Ayashiki territory by this point, trust only made them complacent. _They deserved whatever came their way._

Suddenly, an abrupt burst of catastrophic noise reached her ears. After a few seconds of searching for its source, she could see Akaishi falling a little further within the distance. She gaped with a sudden rush of intense admiration as he caught himself between two skyscrapers, using two giganteus tendrils to zig-zag and pillar through the two constructions in an intricate succession. This continued until he formed an almost spider-web-esque conception with his Quirk, a creation that was far too complex for anyone without intensive Quirk training.

Her heartbeat exacerbated, compelling her to almost drool at the sight of it. It was outright _beautiful _to Juna. His control was quite seraphic. In fact, even Akaishi himself was reminiscent of the Angel of Death as he glowered into her direction, especially when his vines formed extensions that mimicked the wings similar to that of Azrael. For a brief second, Juna had to restrain herself from swooning on the spot. It was a fact that she was rather disgusted to admit, but she couldn't help how she felt.

Absentmindedly, her legs swelled and tightened immensely, and this caused the concrete beneath her to break underneath the heavy weight of her lower body. With saliva rushing past her lips, she crawled on all fours like a cheetah, further destroying the asphalt while bracing herself for her next action.

What followed was akin to the power of a giant or a god as Juna pushed her knees inward and her arms out to launch herself upwards with a deadly force, leaving a shallow crater that reached close to at least ten meters in width on the ground. An intemperate tornado followed in her wake, sweeping up numerous debris, street-lights, and even vendors and cars while she found herself flying towards a well-prepared Akaishi. To maintain her line of trajectory, she wildly swung her bulky limbs about to maintain a steady bee-line towards her target. In a taunting fashion, Juna lapped her tongue from her mouth, reminding her enemy of what she truly thought he was. A sniveling _mutt._

"The one thing I hate about you annoying Hai-Hai morons the most," Akaishi glared venomously, manipulating the vines surrounding him to expand even further as Juna approached. "...Is how utterly _reckless _you fools can be. **No grace, no plan… **_**all of you are just a bunch of unruly idiots.**_" All at once, these enlarged vines split into an insurmountable array of different sizes and shapes. As they rummaged and ripped through the two buildings that were holding his position in the air in place, various ends of these veins sharpened and locked onto an incoming Juna.

"Yeah~!? **And all of you are too predictable, so we both have a few things to work on.**" Despite her voice switching to have it's occasionally robotic edge, a deathly smile spread across Juna's face as she reached to brutally carve her fingers into her left eye's socket, ripping the organ right out of it's usual home with little to no struggle as she tossed it to fly behind Akaishi. The smile on her face then dropped into a blank stare as the serrated, plant-like tendrils reached her just before she could touch Akaishi.

Immediately, they pierced through her body within assorted areas, barbarically cleaving Juna apart until she was little more than a bloody cloud of limbs, organs, and dismantled flesh. Ichor rained upon the streets from above, and the revolting sounds of guts and visceral elements smacking against the concrete came along with it.

For a few seconds, Juna saw nothing but absolute darkness. For others, this would've been their end. If she were anyone else, there would be no coming back from what Akaishi had just done to her. However, she _knew _that death was a luxury that she would never have the pleasure of indulging. at least, not now and especially not by the hands of someone like _him..._even if he was admittedly quite pretty and, dare she say, cool?

Meanwhile, Akaishi clicked his tongue in annoyance, all while using his vines to lower him towards the ground. "_Imbecile…" _He muttered darkly to himself before his eyes widened to an alarming degree. A familiar pain came, forcing his heart to painfully palpitate. Without warning, his torso sunk inward as he coughed up spews of blood, falling to his knees while doing so. His back was turned away from the eye that still floated within the sky, a mistake he would certainly come to regret soon enough.

A sudden explosion of bone marrow came into existence while an unknown force quickly built a skeleton around the organ. Following the construction of the skeleton were legions of organs that formed within it's center as they were expeditiously shrouded with muscles, nerves, and skin. And from the reconstruction of a body came the appearance of a grinning Juna landing on her feet, alive and fully healed with her body bare for the entire world to see.

"Imbecile, huh~?" She chirped, laughing in delight as she saw Akaishi coming to an abrupt stop in front of her. She never even bothered to cover herself up with anything, reveling in the bewildered (and slightly embarrassed) look on Akaishi's face once he stared back at her. "Now, why are you looking so surprised, Heartie? Wasn't this expected~!?"

Akaishi grunted, sneering a harrowed yet enraged expression as he frantically placed his hands against the surface of the ground. Juna wasn't a fool, she had stalked this boy for long enough to know what he was planning and uncovered her bare body before kneeling. Once again, the muscles in her legs swelled tremendously, empowering herself as she was readied to launch once more. The mere air pressure from her ascension was enough to keep her afloat as she watched Akaishi unleashed something that made her quiver from excitement.

The results were almost catastrophic, _just_ as Juna expected…

There was a powerful resonance as every inch of the concrete and asphalt surrounding the two of them was ultimately shattered and split into uncountable droves of dirt and rock, filling the air with billowing speckles of debris.

As the smoke filled a quarter of the area, the haunting silhouettes of vines sprouted from the dismantled surface, jutting high within the sky whilst they coiled together to assemble themselves into serpentine-like constructs of pure mayhem and devastation. The mere movement of these tendrils was enough to shake the area to its absolute core, as buses and several fleeting cars were swatted away like flies.

Juna was starstruck as this monstrous horde of red vine-like gossamers entwined themselves within each other before making a move towards her at a harrowing speed. With subtlety, she raised her right arm before flicking a single finger to the side in order to propel herself into the opposite direction. Missing the tip of the tendrils by mere inches, Juna flipped within mid-air before straightening her body and powerfully kicking backwards, sending herself soaring towards the largest vine within Akaishi's carnivorous forestry.

While doing so, Juna took a millisecond to observe the ingeniousness of her prey's attack. To have this amount of control over his Quirk as he was now, even when it was clear that he wouldn't be able to keep it up for long… it was enough for Juna to wonder how far he could push himself. Did he even _have _a limit? Oh, how she **desperately** wanted to know.

Upon coming into contact with the giganteus formation, Juna landed haphazardly along the very tip of the tendril before breaking off into a powerful sprint as she sped towards Akaishi's position. She couldn't see much of him, but his scent was so unmistakable, so empowering that she was sure that she'd found his location. Without warning, the enormous, serpentine-like tendril came undone and formed a sequence of veins that attempted to entangle Juna to hold her in place. However, she was able to rip herself away from their grip with sheer strength alone, though the almost non-existent discomfort of her left hand being stripped away from her wrist forced her to click her tongue a bit.

'_This…. Is annoying…' _Meanwhile, Akaishi growled viciously as he watched Juna expertly dodge his vines with ease. From all of the talks he'd heard about her from other Ayashiki forces, he knew that she'd be a handful to deal with, but never did he expect for her to actually have more skill other than throwing herself around and hopping into the crossfire of danger.

She was a completely different beast from most of the other scum he had to snuff out. Plus, her regenerative abilities were… extraordinary, far surpassing any other variant of the power that he'd seen thus far. Slowly, he started to come to a very frustrating conclusion. He was simply outmatched in a killing battle, and he _hated _it. '_As much as I hate to say it, killing this inferior piece of low-level trash might be a waste of time…'_

Even within his own consciousness, he couldn't bear the thought of admitting that he was imperfect in anything.

But then as he angrily watched a grinning Juna closing in on him with bloodlust and jubilance evident within her tangerine-colored eyes, a thought came to his mind that completely reawakened his confidence as a darker and condescending grin spread across his handsomely gaunt features. If he couldn't kill her, then so be it. Doing so would've only caused issues between the Hai-Hai and Ayashiki, and the last thing he needed right now was that idoitic Kai breathing down his neck for any reason.

'_But if I can restrain and entrap this bitch …' _With newfound vigor and an adrenaline rush unlike any that he had ever felt in a long time, his skin was essentially ripped apart and fully encased in thinly-woven vines that multiplied to an impossible degree. Bit by bit, his body was encompassed with the vines, fortifying his defenses and adding onto his size whilst the plant-made vessel continued to raise Akaishi higher within the sky. The thorny vines pulsated rapidly before spreading amongst the city, piercing and utterly dismantling every piece of land within the cityscape.

Blood-curdling screams went unheard in the distance as unfortunate souls met their demise as their bodies were drained massively of their bodily essences. This massacre continued until anyone that had the displeasure of still being in the area was no longer of this world.

All that remained at this very moment was Akasihi as he now stood at a height of twelve feet and a frenzied Juna. Her excitement had finally reached its maximum. She was so enticed, so enchanted by the sight of Akaishi's full-fledged fleet of carnivorous armor that she was now ruthlessly tearing through the forest of vines and withstanding impalement as if it were a mosquito bite, all for the sole purpose of making it closer to her goals. As a large tendril harpooned her upper chest, Juna instinctively tossed her arm behind her back to slice the vine in half before charging for one final super-jump.

'_So this is the Bloodhound of the Empire… and to think that he hasn't even reached his peak yet,'_ In the blink of an eye, she was finally closing the distance between the two of them, an affectionate twinkle shimmering within her brightly-lit sapphires as her arms were now enlarged to an unimaginable level.

'_You really are something, aren't you, Heartstring…?' _

A soothing smile was all she could give as the hulking avatar of red shrubbery belonging to Akaishi reached out to her, it's vines manifesting and shooting outwards to meet her half-way. In response, she found herself reaching out as well while large bony protrusions jutted past the skin concealing her muscles and expanded to force a skeletal armor around herself, similarly to her own opponent's.

'_I can't __**wait **__to do this with you again...~'_

And in that moment, pure carnage ensued as a thunderous clap could be heard from miles away as the two finally collided with each other, all while they attempted to break through the defenses of the other with pure strength alone and clasping each other's hands. If not for the fact that it was quite literally a struggle of death, it would've seemed almost… and intimate and wondrous.

Never in Juna's life had she experienced such an irrefutable level of shock and awe from a battle with someone else. So many had disappointed her, most of which had fallen by her hands alone. However, she had finally found the exception. Even as she felt her body being suppressed and forced to the ground in a bludgeoning heap, Juna's smile never left her face. She blissfully watched one glowing eye belonging to Akaishi shine through the abysmal darkness of his avatar while her body was slowly becoming cocooned and drained for every ounce of blood within her.

She knew this wouldn't be enough. Juna was well-aware that the minute she was already trapped and held in place to be eaten alive, she would reform from the tiniest speck of blood elsewhere. However, even with that in mind, she envisioned this as the perfect way for her life to come to a close… dying in the hands of someone who was only getting started and would grow even further afterwards… perishing in the same way she was reborn.

However, that wasn't destined to happen… not yet, at least. The blazing orb of blue fire rocketing towards the two of them from behind Ayashiki and the familiar scent of berries reminded her of the fact.

'_Demiji-kuuuuuuun…~ It's about time that you showed your cute little face here!'_

In a swift motion, before she could be fully encased in the vampiric nesting, she thrusted a heavily severed arm through the openings of the vines and delivered an earth-shattering punch right through the armor of Akaishi and connected with the poor boy's rib-cage.

Juna relished in the loud cry of anguish erupting from him as his giganteus avatar finally came undone and split in half. In that moment, the vines that covered the streets, buildings, automobiles, and most importantly, herself, all retreated from the devastation and sunk within Akaishi's skin as he gasped loudly from the agony. He never even saw or heard the sounds of jets approaching until it was too late.

The moment that he turned his eyes in the opposite direction, he was greeted with the metallic palm of a robotic figure before a cerulean explosion covered his vision.

His body was sent tumbling, growling as the flames came close enough to sink and burn through his skin if not for Bloody Blossom quickly reactivating and shielding his body from a portion of the impact. Akaishi tumbled across the asphalt, further worsening his injuries until he came to a stop by landing in a pile of sharp glass.

He vomited nothing but pure blood, coughing and gagging it all up in large amounts as he laid shirtless and bleeding in several areas of his body. He was officially shutting down now. The effects of his Quirk now beginning to overtake him as distorted mumbles could be heard within his head, echoing sounds of unfettered wails that brought upon a hellish headache for himself.

His ribs were completely shattered, having only the vines of his Quirk to hold them in place as he looked to the spot where his opposition once laid. She was no longer there. All that remained were severed limbs from her own body and a large river of blood soaking the streets in her wake.

He then shakingly stood on his own two feet and looked around. Akaishi paled at the large-scaled damage done to the area and even with the thought of Kai being pissed off plaguing his mind, the only venomous thought looming at the forefront of it all was one girl in particular… and how much he couldn't _wait _to put an end to her in the future.

'_I truly hate all of them… Hai-Hai garbage… __**we know your taste now… it'll only be a matter of time before we meet again…**_'

* * *

_Yonaharu Demiji - __**CODENAME: **__**Asteroid Blu**_

_**Affiliation: Hai-Hai Syndicate **_

_**Quirk - Gundam Star: **__Gundam Star allows Demiji to conjure a metallic suit of nearly impenetrable armor that is devastatingly powerful and has various functions! Essentially, there is nanotechnology flowing through Demiji that enables him to form his power suit!_

* * *

"**JUNA DID WHAAAAAAAT!?**"

The shrilling scream was strong enough to give him a mild migraine, feeling the unpleasant yell piercing through his eardrums in a tremendous fashion. He hanged his head silently, forcibly preparing himself to suppress his smirk as he watched his leader fall to her knees in an animated fashion. It was to be expected by this point, at least. He almost hated that him and his fellow lieutenant shared such similar first names because whenever Tusbara was like _this_, he'd always have to double-take in order to make sure that he wasn't the one who had done something wrong.

Small beads of sweat dripped from his forehead and cascaded down his left cheek whilst witnessing a crowd slowly encompass the small woman's frame, releasing an array of comforting words and coos all in the name of helping her feel better. Clearing his throat subtly, Jun scratched his chin before proceeding through the crowd, slowly making his way in front of Tsubara and sighing while running his nimble and soft fingers through her vividly pinkish hair. Immediately, Tsubara responded to the familiar feeling of her hair being touched and raised her head to meet Jun's eyes.

A soft yet burning twinge was felt within his heart as he stared upon her pain-stricken face, her sadness evident by the river of tears flowing past her cheeks and her pouting lips being even more prominent than usual whenever she was in a despondent mood. It was shocking for him. Here was a woman that ran one of the biggest gangs in the entire world and could practically level entire cities on her own, vulnerable and riddled with pain that she laid bare to all of them without a care in the world.

The sheer difference between her and a lot of the other leaders he'd been associated with in the past was unfathomable. She was compassionate, caring, worrying, and actually seemed to value all of them equally to some degree. Truly, Tsubara loved them. It wasn't a front or a gimmick. It was 100% real.

Juna was not ignorant, Jun was well-aware of that, so she should've known that making such an impolitc decision on her own would've set Tsubara into another one of her depressive ruts. It was unfortunate, but Juna didn't really think like the rest of them when it came to the topic of love and things of that nature. She wouldn't conceive nor understand the same emotions that they endured on a daily basis, which wasn't a fault of her own, but she could at _least _do a better job at abiding by the rules that Tsubara enforced. It wasn't like she had many to begin with.

"Yeeeeah, I'm sorry, senpai…" Jun took great care in ensuring that his smooth, deepened voice was as comforting and somnolent as it possibly could be. Upon hearing his voice, Tsubara pitifully reached her arms out to clutch his waist softly, invoking all of the others surrounding them to do the same as they made a circle around Jun and their leader. "I was out patrolling some territory when I got a call from Demiji-san that told me everything about what had transpired. However, cheer up, okay~? She's alright, a bit… exposed and feeling a little cold, but she's as fine as always!"

"Mooooou, I swear to _god_, if one of that little fucking _**twerp's **_dogs lay another flithy paw on her or any of my babies again," For a few moments, Jun tensed, feeling Tsubara's grip tighten around his waist, all while a gutteral growl emanated from her throat. "I'll personally storm that disease-ridden base of his and slam his goddamn face into the shit they probably have scattered throughout that pigpen so he can learn how to _**PROPERLY **_clean up after his fucking messes and lead them the right way!"

Jun sweatdropped, clearing his throat subtly, "To be fair, senpai… Juna was the one that stormed their territory on her own looking for trouble—"

"Silly, Jun-kun!" Tsubara perked up suddenly, abruptly flashing a teary smile his way before planting a soft kiss on his jaw. "Haven't we been through thiiiis? It is NEVER any of your faults! I trust all of you too much to believe that any of y'all would make such a reckless decision of attacking without my jurisdiction! At least, not without reason! Hmph, if anything, Juna had her own reasons for crunching down on the twerp, so she's likely valid!"

Jun nodded his head, silently agreeing with his leader. Juna normally kept to herself and the gang so if she were on such a manhunt for one person in particular and causing such a ruckus, someone out of the main division of Ayashiki's top dogs had to have pissed her off in some way. "That's true… also, really, we need to try and establish nicknames or something for me and Juna-san that can… you know, help to clear up any kind of confusion when you're calling the two of us?"

Tsubara raised the sleeves of her nightgown towards her eyes, wiping away all of her tears before nodding in agreement to Jun's suggestion. "You're right, Jun-kun, we'll have to do something about that!" She swiftly turned to the audience of omnifarious heights and colors, now sporting a gleaming smile that greatly contrasted from her previously downtrodden demeanor. "What do you say, my sweeties!? Next official Hai-Hai meeting will include a new topic of discussion to be added; new nicknames for both Jun and Juna! Hai-Hai?!"

The crowd immediately responded with a deafening reaction, "**HAI-HAI**!"

Jun smirked, seeing the crowd all cheer in a synchronized succession before dogpiling their leader and lifting her within the air. As Tsubara continued to indulge in the applause and affection from the Hai-Hais, he sunk his hands slowly into his pockets before turning and walking out of the room to enter the expansive hallways of the mansion.

Upon exiting, He turned to the side, admiring the starry night on the opposite side of inordinate windows adjacent from the walls adorning exquisite art and cultivated decor. Truly, it was a sight for Jun to see, one that he was unlikely to ever get used to.

His almond-shaped eyes never left the view, fully immersed by the bright-lit extravaganza occuring outside. There were several members in groups partaking in different activities. Some were casually enjoying a small-timed concert on one side of the spacious yard, no doubt some sort of concert being performed by the famous J-POP collective named Ju-Chi-Su-Pow-Wow since they were a band that was closely associated with them and their brand. Plus, they made amazing songs to boot, though the poppier direction they've taken on their newest record wasn't much of his style, admittedly.

On the other side, it was nothing but pure chaos, yet there was still somehow an upholding of harmony amongst it all. Members from all walks of life, genders, heights, and size gathered as one explosive unit, frolicking about and having the time of their lives while doing whatever they wanted. They were free from expectations, free from the restraints and conformations of society and existed as a unison of calamity and love. In Jun's eyes, there was immense beauty in the topsy-turviness of his organization and truthfully, he wouldn't have had it any other way.

Before long, Jun found himself exiting the hallways of the mansion and coming upon a path that led to the outside, and the moonlight exposed a narrow trail that led to the outskirts of the Hai-Hai's headquarters. He could feel a visceral sense of dread and danger radiating from the woodlands that encompassed the perimeter, promising dark intentions for those that attempted to parade too closely.

Jun, however, only allowed for a seductive smirk to pass along his inhumanly prepossessing features as his piercing blue eyes surveyed every inch of the foliage upon entering the forestry. The sudden shift within the atmosphere was almost instantaneous.

There was something akin to the beating of a heart that resonated below the earth's surface, releasing deep successions of vibrations that matched the tempo of Jun's footsteps. In addition, the diversity of plant-life available was quite obvious and overly abundant, alighting the forestry with an assortment of colors as several plants seemed to slowly snake their way towards him.

Above him were monumental vines and enormous variants of flytraps, sprouting different kinds of flowers along their humongous stems. They loomed above him menacingly, so much so that he could almost _feel _them judgingly observing him, making sure that if he made one wrong move, he'd be snapped in half.

In a way, that was a part of the thrill when it came to his late-night escapades with one girl in particular. He almost had to remind himself that he was here on _business _and nothing more.

'_She is so goddamn dramatic, I swear...' _Running his fingers through his jet-black hair, he reveled in the cool breeze blowing across his exposed torso while placing the blackened hood of his jacket upon his head. In the distance, he was able to make out a large clearing with a massively expanded body of water placed directly in the middle of the opening.

Once the shine of the moonlight faded via being eclipsed by the towering flytraps, a massive drove of fireflies were the only source of light available amongst the frondescence of the woodlands. Jun suppressed the urge to playfully roll his eyes as the fireflies circled the body of water, acting as torches to give a visible view. "You sure have the place set-up nicely, huh? If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were preparing for a little something _extra _on the side of business."

There was no immediate response. At least, none other than the humorous chanting of crickets to seemingly punctuate the immense silence.

Jun sighed, "I'll take that as a no then."

Suddenly, a melodic giggle followed by a gasp of pure delight echoed deeply throughout the woodlands, somehow sounding close yet so far away at the same time. Jun placidly stared as the lake before him gradually twirled and circulated while it formed a whirlpool that increased in intensity as time passed. From the viridescent waters arose a shadowed yet visibly feminine figure, posing with such grace that Jun had to remind himself that none of the Kichijoten could even come close to their hideout.

The massive forestry seemed to almost come completely to life as trees, plants and other forms of wildlife rose to meteoric heights, exposing the moonlight from above to shine down upon the figure, fully spotlighting the woman in all of her magnificent glory. No matter how many times Jun had seen her, he still couldn't get enough of her beauty.

From the shining light radiating from her darkened complexion to the pinkish hue of her benevolently long and curly hair, she was truly a beauty of godly proportions. Her concealed eyes finally opened, revealing heterochromic eyes as she winsomely smiled at Jun. The right was a brilliant shade of salmon-pink while the left was a thick emerald green.

'_Love to make an entrance, huh… Kiki?'_

_Kankyou Kiki - __**CODENAME: **__**Druid **_

_**Affiliation: **__Hai-Hai Syndicate _

_**Quirk: Nature's Repentance **__\- __She can summon massive plants and forests from soil, coral reefs from water, change the air around her into healing mist or enhancing pheromones! This is only the tip of Kiki's true abilities! _

"Now, noooow, Jun-kun, I never took you for the type to let some minor jokes get to that heart of yours~!" The water from which she had arisen from constructed transparent platforms that floated within the air, allowing for her to take carefully slowed steps while sashaying towards Jun. "Please ignore my critters, they tend to have a sense of humor of their own! I can assure you the chirps have nothing to do with me!"

Her choice of clothing was… quite revealing in all honesty. Her chest area was covered with a strapless bra with one cup being made from what appeared to be coral that matched the color of her hair while the other was made with primarily grass with additional flowers decorating the outer layer. In regards to her lower body, she donned a mini-skirt made of the composition with cut-out sides that further exposed her naturally toned legs.

Jun subtly licked his lips, now coming close to the woman as she stood before him. "Uh-huh, well, sometimes, I doubt that a bit, but if you say so…" He found himself having to stare upwards to meet her gaze, arching his eyebrows slowly while smiling in a sly fashion. "Why is it that every time I see you, you seem to grow an inch taller? I had hope that I'd be the giant out of the group until you and Kyoumi-san killed my fantasy."

"Careful, Junny~!" Following her footsteps were gorgeous blooms of various flowers and dandelions that shifted into different shades of unnaturalized colors. She playfully tapped Jun's nose, trailing her svelte fingers from his face to his chiseled abdomen in a sultry manner. "I think I'm starting to pick up on the smell of insecurity here, something that's normally associated with you shorter males, is it noooot~?"

Jun rolled his eyes while softly grabbing her hands, holding them gently within his grasp. "I'm 5'11", please tell me what reason I have to be insecure, Kankyou-darling?"

"God, please just call me Kiki." She scoffed slightly. However, Kiki never refused Jun's touch as they walked throughout the forest in unison. "And you'd be surprised at how many men I've met that feel the need to add that extra inch onto themselves in order to maintain their fragile egos… I'm glad you're not like the rest, Junni~."

Jun smirked playfully, "who, me? Pfft, of course not, I embrace it," He gave a subtle side-glance towards Kiki, winking lightly as he continued. "And plus, most of my height went to my third leg anyways, you know that~."

"My god, Jun, don't say such things to a lady, you pervert!" Jun reacted quickly to avoid Kiki playfully swatting at his head, releasing a deep chuckle while doing so. "You're lucky that it's just me and my babies out here with you and not Suga~! She'd give you one right in between those perfectly cobalt eyes of yours~!"

"With her, that's either a fist or a knife though…" He sweatdropped at the remembrance of his eccentric teammate and her rather hostile behavior towards most of his bad habits. While the two of them would gladly die for each other in a matter of seconds if the time called for it, Jun had to wonder if _she _would be the one to finally put him out of his depraved misery someday. The things that Suga was capable of with or without a blade in her hand were… traumatically brutal, if he were to put things lightly.

"Hmmmm~ but thinking about which she might pull out next is what makes the guessing game all the more fun, wouldn't you agree?" As the two of the trekked deeper into the woodlands, Kiki and Jun encountered a wondrous array of vivacious and effervescent gardens with herbage and flora of varying sizes brightening the area. The moonlight was now shining upon a single stump surrounded by the vegetation, which added an almost cinematic edge to the scenery "Now then~!" Kiki led Jun to the middle of the stump before placing her hands behind her back and smiling whilst tilting her head. "What's this about business and why did you need _me _of all people?

"Well, check this out," Jun then proceeded to reach into his pocket, pulling out his smartphone and handing it to Kiki. "I was out sniffing around Dotonbori while scouting out our territories and I found something pretty uuuuh… _interesting,_ if you wouldn't mind taking a look."

Kiki stared blankly at the smartphone for several minutes before looking towards Jun, slowly raising her eyebrows in an unexplainable manner. "You… forget that I, uhhhh—"

"Oh!" Jun slapped himself across the forehead. How could he have forgotten that Kiki was practically raised in nature? It made sense that she wouldn't understand how to use a cellphone. "Right, sorry, lemme hold it for you." Coming close to her, Jun gently guided Kiki's hands to the screen, helping her to scroll to the needed image. "There we go!" He stood close, wrapping his arm around Kiki's waist and admiring the floral scent of lavender emanating from her as they looked upon the picture.

"Getting a little touchier than usual, aren't you, Junny~?" Kiki purred while softly pressing her body against his to further enjoy his presence. "Remember thoooough, my babies are jealous of momma talking with humans, especially my little poisonous bleeding hearts, asclepias, and belladonnas~! That being said, please watch where you touch, Junni."

Jun noticed the looming flowers above him gradually getting close with every touch, prompting him to separate himself from Kiki considerably. "Fiiiiine, I suppose~."

Kiki giggled before finally turning her attention to the screen of the phone. She watched intensely as nearly five dozens of fortified SUVs raced through the streets at an expeditious pace. These vehicles were rather… decrepit and rusted, giving them an almost apocalyptic mein as they pillaged through Dotonbori whilst waving numerous weapons from their windows and firing them relentlessly, nearly striking and endangering pedestrians. To her, these seemed to be more of the usual street punks that normally thought they could get away with their obnoxious shenanigans on Hai-Hai territory.

"Hmm, so what exactly am I supposed to be looking at here, Jun-kun?" She casted an unimpressed gaze towards Jun before crossing her arms. "Humans being idiots as usual, so what? Honestly, this is something that you can handle on your own, right?"

Jun merely shrugged, still maintaining his mischievous smirk. "Oh yeah, definitely. In faaaact, I started my day off by saying that I'd head by there myself to clear them out on my own since they're openly terrorizing neighborhoods underneath our protection!" His head tilted as he reached his hand outward to scroll towards another image. "But then I started doing a little bit of research on this group's MO and well… you remember hearing about all of Aokigahara being charred last year, right?"

Kiki bristled as her face of complete indifference faded into a demented glare, one that was so spine-chilling that he could feel the tremors of his heart circumspectly rise in intensity. The familiar killing intent radiating from the forestry previously returned with a vengeance as Jun decided to hurriedly continue. He figured that this would've been a touchy subject for Kiki, so it was best to spit it out now before things got worse.

"The group that you're seeing in this video is the organization responsible for the fires that overtook the Yamanashi Prefecture that year, which was when the forest was burned down." Jun kept his calm despite the situation. No matter how enraged Kiki was, she was at least rational enough to know that attacking him wasn't within her best interest. "They call themselves the Mokushiroku Militia, some group of crazies that fantasizes over the concept of anarchy and want to live in a post-apocalyptic world that isn't bound by laws or morals. Imagine Kai's bullshit, but it's a lot less organized and everyone in there is more of an annoyance than an actual threat."

Kiki remained silent for a few seconds before responding with a deathly cold tone. "I see…" She then proceeded to toss the phone from her hand and towards the woods and with the speed of lighting, a single vine pierced through the device, obliterating it with non-existent difficulty. "I'm glad that you thought about me, Jun-kun. I think you know more than anyone else why I've been whispering to my friends, wondering and pondering who or why anyone would do such a despicable thing."

"If I had to make a guess," Jun calmly reached towards his lower abdomen, swiftly pulling a sharpened machete seemingly from out of nowhere. "I'd say that they're doing it for aesthetic purposes? You know, since the usual thing that's associated with the apocalypse is barren wastelands, dry deserts, plundered scenery…" He casted one final side-glance to the girl before utterly one final phrase in a slow, methodical, and louring tone. "**And not an inch of nature in sight, you know~**? **Just mankind at its wildest and every human for themselves**."

The murderous aura wafting from the woodlands was almost bleeding into Jun's skin, bringing goosebumps into existence as he watched a satanic grin spread across Kiki's face. She merely walked past him before muttering a few phrases of finality.

"**It's a wonder that we allowed them to live this long, hmmm~? Let's go ahead and wipe this little pissant of a clique off the map, you know that ridding the world of garbage is something that I'll gladly help you with, Jun-kun~! Let's head into Osaka first!**"

"Oh, no, I insist we head over to Mount Fuji after making a quick stop to Aokigahara!" Jun raised the incredibly massive machete over his shoulders, walking briskly in order to keep up with Kiki. "After all, you and I have a bone to pick with the guy in charge after all. Besides…" He gazed into Kiki's eyes as the two of them walked closely, giving her a subtle wink. "Kyoumi is already on her way to Osaka… alongside our little spitfire of a kouhai… _Suga._"

Kiki's expression grew surprised before a frightening smile of pure elation graced her face, all while a slow and callous chuckle rose from her throat.

"Now, that's just cruel, Junni~! I would've at least given them a chance to say their piece and Kyoumi is at least quick to kill! _May whatever god they believe in have mercy on their souls for what our darling Suga is about to do to them, however~._"

* * *

_Asano Jun - ** CODENAME: Hellion**_

_**Affliation: **__Hai-Hai Syndicate_

**_Quirk: The Empty Hearse_****_-_**_ Jun's Quirk allows him to access and store things within a pocket dimension inside his body! This includes weapons, gadgets, and anything that gives him an edge in the element of surprise!_

* * *

"_**Look at your eyes…"**_

"_**..."**_

"_**Such a wondrous sight… a beautiful blend between your father's and my own."**_

"_**Momma… please don't leave me… I don't wanna lose you and papa, please run with me."**_

"_**I would love to, my child, but I'm afraid that I cannot commit… you're so beautiful… so beautiful. Live for me… for us… my child. My sweet Suga…"**_

A crimson rainfall cascaded from above and drenched the fragmented grounds that she stood proudly upon. Her brilliantly-lit irises surveyed the damage done to her surroundings and the obstacles presented against her. The enclosure was plagued with an unprecedented amount of rust and grime, filled with the disgusting scent of ammonia and mold. The spacious room that trapped her was ransacked and decrepit, which was made obvious by the broken walls and scattered trash underneath metallic crates and shelves. It was unlivable, quite frankly. A breeding ground for rodents and cockroaches, fittingly inhabited by the scum of society.

She brandished a large sword that was wide in width and easily around six-feet in length, with a grandiose hilt displaying royal purple and golden embroidery. Her obsidian horns were on full display, protruding through her blackened hair as she carefully counted the furiously approaching fools donning rustic armor and and armed with makeshift weaponry. Though their expressions were of anger and rage, their demeanors allowed their cowardice to shine through in spades. Warriors who weren't even confident within themselves, yet they foolishly disregarded their own well-being to hone in on her for an immature and nonsensical cause.

All of this for the sake of what? Destruction? A world devoid of a purpose outside of bloodshed and treachery? A world that was stripped of honor and unity?

To think that an idea of that nature would be something they'd gladly die for truly saddened and sickened her. They were hopeless and diluted, even more so than those that sided with the Empire. In a perfect world, a land without discord that offered complete consonance, they simply could _not _exist. It was truly a tragedy, but she would happily burden the weight of striking those that have lost their way downwards once and for all.

"_May the song of my blade deliver a soothing note of finality as I relieve you of your earthly shackles... Shi No Ongaku... __**Heaven's Call**_!"

Suga's eyes, once a brilliant shade of purple and yellow, were suddenly settled into a transmutation as they spun wildly before gleaming an innately powerful golden hue. From there, the lavender that colored her hair's tips was replaced by a scintillating glow that rapidly shrouded all of her body as she settled herself close to the ground, preparing for what was to come next.

"Be careful, she's glowing again! Whenever she does that shit, she has something new up her sleeve, it's like she has multiple Quirks in one—!" The tallest of the ensemble, a large, dark-skinned and portly man with gigantic limbs charged her furiously with the rest of his followers before he was silenced by a calm and melodic flute playing softly, filling him with such serenity that it forced him to a deliberative pace. His eyes watched with a sudden rush of amazement as the blade held by a blitzing light charged him head-on and in that moment, he wanted nothing more than to feel the ethereal light bless him with even more of its serenading sound.

Even as the light completely bisected him via slicing directly through his lower abdomen and exposed his fleeting organs and blood flowing outwards, all he knew in that moment was utter bliss as a seventh heaven awaited him.

_**Hex: Shi No Ongaku (**__**死の音楽**__**) - Heaven's Call -**_ _**A light, melodious flute-like tune is heard as the user's blade is covered in a scintillating glow that beckons the call of those that are close by to hear the music. Once it reaches a victim's ear, it automatically relaxes their mind, causing them to lower their guard and come closer to the user. **_

The very moment his upper-half torso hit the floor in a heap, Suga was on the move as the harmonic refrain grew in intensity, exceedingly calming the charging crowd in order for her to deliver killing strikes in rapid succession. In the blink of an eye, nearly dozens of the Militia collapsed, leading to the floor being flooded with their bodily essence whilst painting the room an eternal shade of carmine. The enclosure was wide, so she was able to fully make use of her speed and endurance.

Her body contorted to nearly impossible angles as her footing shifted to properly maintain her sense of balance. One by one, she delivered killing blow after killing blow before racing in front of another unfortunate follower and clenching the grip upon her sword. The muscles in her arms tightened and became much denser as she brought it to cut directly through their skull, exposing nothing but a visceral sight of pure brain matter, ichor and the outer layer of a skull. Her victim's eyes still held a look of pure bliss once the top-half of their head landed upon the ground.

As the blood spilling from the man's severed head splattered upon her darkened armor, she casually lowered her sword and pulled a shuriken from a satchel before tossing it towards an abnormally large and tarnished chandelier that dangerously loomed above the largest section of the gang. With no difficulty, the sharp star-shaped weapon cut through the corroded chain holding the large light in place.

_**CRASH**_

"Fools…" Suga released a somber sigh as the chandelier landed and crushed the unsuspecting members serenaded by the calming ambience of her hex. There were no screams or even deathly grunts to be heard. Only the sounds of the flute and bones snapping could fill the silence. "I greatly pity all of you—!"

From out of nowhere, a large guillotine blade was swung towards her, though she was immediately able to bring her blade upwards to deflect the blow. The guillotine was sent sprawling towards the crowd, cleaving through her enemies as if they were made of butter. She paralyzed the one responsible for the attack with a hazardous gaze before rushing and pillaging through the remnants of the horde of fanatics, slicing and vaulting within different directions while performing several flips and somersaults to reach her position.

'_Goddamn it, how is she THIS fucking fast!?' _A tall and incredibly muscular woman with tanned skin and Valkyrie-esque armor furiously bared her teeth as she struggled to change the trajectory of her swinging guillotine while gripping the attached chain with all of her brute strength. '_And if I hear that goddamn flute up close, it's game-over… I gotta get that sword out of her hand, then the playing field will be a lot more even…'_

As the guillotine swung about, it collided with the roof of the inner structure and utterly decimated the upper-flooring of the building. An assortment of debris crashed upon the floor, barely missing the remnants of those protecting the inner-section of the headquarters and descending upon the troublesome girl relentlessly slaughtering the droves of her army. Even with death seemingly imminent, Suga's chilling gaze was never broken in the slightest.

"Everyone who hasn't been fucking possessed, get the hell out of here and help defend the outer area! Leave this little piece of Hai-Hai chickenshit to me and me alone!" Her body quivered in fear at the sight of Suga effortlessly moving in an intricate pattern as she avoided the falling debris threatening to break her in half. Her eyes could hardly keep up with the Hai-Hai lieutenant, who actually created after-images with her fast-paced and unreadable movements.

Those remaining and not underneath the influence of Suga's spell nodded before quickly making a break for the exit of the warehouse. The taller woman gritted her teeth as she watched them leave and turned to meet Suga's stare with an equally unsettling gaze, hastily covering her ears with ear-muff-esque devices to block out both the flute and impending damage that was to come. "So! I guess it's just you and me, ya little piece of jail-bait! _**I hope you don't think I'll be one for playing around like those bozos, sweetheart~! You're fucking with the heavy-hitters now!**_"

_**Codename: Warhead**_

_**Affiliation: Mokushiroku Militia (Co-Founder/Co-leader)**_

_**Quirk - Mayday**__: Warhead's Quirk allows her to have complete control over impacts and collisions, meaning that she can manipulate them to nearly catastrophic degrees with ease! Depending on the circumstances, she can level small cities in a matter of seconds!_

"Must you be so loud and obnoxious?" Suga's voice, for once, was calm and eerily unbothered. "Other than your use of rudimentary language and unpolished fighting style, your cowardice alone and utter lack of self-awareness should tell you that you're not worthy of the proclamations you spew, you dishonorable wretch."

Warhead blinked, her demeanor fully conveying confusion as a deepened frown came soon after. "I'll be honest, I can't hear you and I wasn't much of a schoolgirl, so I don't really know much about what the fuck you just said, nor do I care. I'm sure that it was somethin' insulting though! Be ready to get turned into a fucking stain on the floor, ya little bitch!"

Without warning, she lifted the heels of her boot to stomp on the floor while her eyes were blazing with pure insanity. Sensing that the woman had finally grown serious, the golden radiating from Suga's form died in an instant as she made a sudden leap from the ground.

The results that followed were calamitous.

The next thing Suga knew, her body was propelled by a powerful gust of wind that carried her far throughout the building as it broke through the walls and caused the entirety of the structure to collapse in a blinding heap. Smoke and detritus was caught within a violent twister as the grounds below suddenly sunk inward, creating a cataclysmic gorge that continuously spread and swallowed everything that had the misfortune of being within the harrowing chaos.

As the building was reduced to falling rubble though, Suga's tranquil nature never faded as she then fell backwards to execute a backflip in mid-air while landing on the largest piece of descending debris closest to her. Rapidly, she jumped from rubble to rubble, effectively using them as platforms to carry herself to a safe distance before they could collide with the grounds below her feet. Finally, she reached the last remaining platform and vaulted towards the streets below, using a car as leverage for her once she made a safe landing.

She squinted her eyes to assess her surroundings. The night sky was now exposed, signalling that she was no longer within the building from before, which was now only a massive pile of wreckage veiled by the voluminous smog that followed the damage. Suga maintained a defensive position with her sword brandished and ready for action. She watched the cloud of smoke cautiously, feeling a venomous presence arising from behind it and was not surprised to see that it was her enemy, smiling evilly without a single scratch on her.

The cloud dissipated and Suga's eyes momentarily widened at the sight of an enormous crater filled with wreckage present behind Warhead and an entire army of Militia members and Hai-Hai combating around the carnage.

"You know, I'd like to stay here and have a little more fun with you, pipsqueak?" Warhead smirked, removing her guillotine blade from her back and playfully swinging it about as she approached. "But I have somewhere else I need to be, so I ain't got time to—"

'_For once, I can see that we are at an agreement on one thing...' _Suga's eyes glinted. She wasn't in the business of having a conversation or even a lengthy fight. She _refused _to. Calmly taking note of the girl's ears being covered and her eyes closing for her to boast needlessly, Suga wasted not a single opportunity and lifted a final shuriken, which was decorated with a fiery colored essence that glowed amongst the darkness.

With the flick of her wrist, Suga nonchalantly threw the weapon towards the abdomen of Warhead, taking enough caution to ensure the blade's success in slipping through the openings of her armor.

"And I think it's time—G'YAAH!" A sharp and piercing pain surged through the lower-half of her stomach, causing her to stumble and gasp loudly as she stopped herself from falling to her knees. Clenching her teeth, she opened one eye to see a shuriken embedded deep within her solar-plexus. As blood immediately spilled from the newly-made wound, she chuckled darkly before looking towards Suga. "R-Really? You think a little cut is supposed to kill me? You're even dumber than you fucking look, ya little samurai shit—!?"

"_Jigoku no kuno... __**Burning Flame**__!_"

"Eh!?"

In the blink of an eye, a new aura emanated from Suga as she gradually immersed herself within a blazing hue matching the essence of an everlasting flame. A wicked glow enveloping her irises paralleled the fiery semblance encompassing her form as she evolved into an entity made entirely out of an incandescent inferno.

The scorching heat could be felt even from the distance that Warhead stood. Her body froze from a foreign feeling that she could not place. Was it fear? Surprise? Fascination? Nevertheless, it didn't matter, for she knew that if she didn't make a move _right _now, things would only get worse for her.

"You little fucking _**BRAAAAAAAAAAAAT**_" Warhead never even bothered with removing the blade from her stomach because she knew that once that happened, she'd bleed out immediately. "I'm ending this **RIGHT** now!" Lifting the guillotine blade once more, she placed all of her energy into swinging the weaponry with relative ease towards a stationary Suga.

In response, Suga rushed to the side and utilized her immense speed to get out of dodge. The wind currents from the guillotine's swing created a rippling rush of air to spin outwards, effectively forming a tornado that pillaged through the untouched compound. From the tornado soared destructive arcs of wind that flew throughout the battlefield created by Warhead, flattening and decimating anyone that was unlucky enough to get caught within it. Skidding to a stop, Suga quickly unsheathed her sword once more and made a beeline straight to Warhead.

'_So… fucking… fast…' _Watching the fiery-infused girl blazing towards her, Warhead pulled the guillotine backwards and sent it hurtling towards Suga, who managed to dodge the first toss by a well-placed side-step. Seeing that she wouldn't be able to go for a second throw, Warhead switched the chain of her blade to the opposite hand while preparing to violently gore the nuisance with her fist once she got close. '_Literally! Where in the fuck did they even find this bitch?! I told Beelzebub we shouldn't have stuck around here for too long!'_

Warhead carefully timed her attack and once the blistering heat could be felt at an adequate range and Suga was within a few feet, her massive grin returned as she punched forward with the force of a speeding train. The kickback alone created a pressurized air current that devastatingly plundered and ruptured the ground as it traveled hazardously to a momentarily surprised Suga.

She had little time to think and opted to do the one thing that she could in that moment; she stopped for a split-second, allowing the blazing flame surrounding her to expand and create a deafening explosion as she jumped and allowed a pillar of fire to carry her upwards.

"Damn it," Warhead growled deeply, seething as she saw that her punch had missed tremendously. She looked to the sky as Suga ascended high into the clouds like a launched rocket and gasped as the pillar of flame beneath her held the girl high amongst the battlefield. Even in the dead of the night sky, the scorching fire in her eyes were like miniature stars, bustling and shining with transcendental vigor. "Gotta get the high-ground to even have a chance again, huh!? Tch, you're all just a bunch of annoying little cowards!"

'_She never even removed the shuriken, probably because she knows she'll excessively bleed out…' _Suga had her sights upon the blade within Warhead's abdomen before slowly closing her eyes as she quietly chanted in a foreign language. '_Exactly as planned… there was never a way out of this for her.'_ The runic tattoos decorating her arms ignited feverishly, slowly overcoming her bodily vessel and sending spiraling fires bursting outwards as she finally finished her hex.

"...**Ignite**…"

Confusion was the final expression of emotion that Warhead could have before a sudden fulmination of fire overwhelmed her severely and shrouded her body in a searing flame, slowly bringing a look of utter agony upon her face as she horrifically peeled and burned away from the intense heat. A scream louder than any scream Suga had ever heard erupted from Warhead's throat and matched the intensity of the explosion that overtook her and almost half of the battlefield, burning hundreds of her unknown soilders alongside her.

Nevertheless, Suga's look of pure indifference never faded while she closely resembled a bright sun descending from the earth's atmosphere, the flames surrounding her body only intensifying as she continued chanting her hex. Her gaze was still upon the shuriken igniting Warhead's body.

Slowly yet surely, Warhead's screams faded into a goosebump-inducing screech until finally growing inaudible as the flames rendered her nothing more than mere ash flailing about within the night sky. A moment of silence only interrupted by the sound of the blade previously in Warhead's stomach falling to the ground came afterwards. The Militia immediately ceased their violence and traumatically watched their second-in-command burn into absolute nothingness.

Suga sighed to herself and floated to the ground to land with a soft step, no longer engulfed by the dazzling flames from earlier. She panted severely, finally feeling the effects of using her Quirk repeatedly. She walked on wobbly legs to retrieve her shuriken and placed it within its proper holster, all while struggling to ignore the internal bleeding plaguing her immensely and the taste of bile and iron arising from her throat to her mouth.

_Urushido Suga - __**CODENAME: **__**Hekkusukirā**_

_**Affiliation: Hai-Hai Syndicate **_

_**Quirk: Swordsman's Incantations - **__Swordsman's Incantations allows Suga to conjure a multitude of vexes and place them upon any blade of her choice. After application of a selected curse, the user's blade is enchanted with powerful energy akin to magic from fictional literature of the past! All of the hexes at their disposal allow for them to have almost god-like abilities once a sword, knife, or anything of the sort is within their possession!_

"Did… did she just kill Warhead-sensei!?" Suga could hardly muster enough energy to acknowledge the fact that all eyes were on her, only realizing it once Warhead's remains were carried off by the wintry winds of Osaka. "She just killed our sensei! Everyone, ignore the other threats for the time being and surround this little shit! We're going to send a fucking message to that loli bitch and return the favor by killing her!"

'_Curses…' _Suga grunted to herself before weakly raising her sword to protect herself from the now engaging crowd honing in on her. Their numbers were now outstanding, easily reaching an estimate of over a thousand soldiers, at least. The rising of a sudden barrier separated the advancing Hai-Hai members from aiding her, leaving Suga completely at the mercy of the Mokushiroku legion. '_The ignominious arrival of fatigue has left me at a major disadvantage… my downfall might finally be inevitable, but I shall __**not **__forsake my team by dying pitifully. If my death is an embarrassment and I die a coward…'_

"GO, ADVANCE! KILL THAT BITCH AND SHOW HER THE TRUE TASTE OF CRUELTY!" At the sound of a final warcry filled with rage and bloodlust, the army finally made their attack, never noticing the faint glow of emotion spurring within Suga as she growled while blitzing to meet the army head-on with newfound vigor and an almost maddening aura of determination.

"**THEN HOW CAN I CALL MYSELF THE GREATEST ONNA-BUGEISHAAAA**!?"

The moment that her sword connected with her first victim, a massacre ensued. One by one, soldier after soldier came into battle as a frenzied warrior and left as a mutilated and soulless husk whilst their blood coated an almost ravenous Suga. Her movements never ceased despite being crenelated and beaten on all sides, as a plethora of ligaments and organs filled the sky while she relentlessly pierced, sliced, and powered through all of the cavalry. Suga maneuvered in a murderously intricate pattern, performing several showcases of pure athleticism and acrobatics while she cleaved through victim after victim.

She had no Quirk to aid her, and her body was cracked by an unfathomable amount of pain and fatigue. The only thing fueling her frenzied assault was pure adrenaline, determination, and the memory of her Queen… her shining light that guided her from the darkness and welcomed her into a life of prosperity, joy, luxury, and above all else… love and compassion.

"_**You're so strong, Hekkusukirā… but I can see it in your eyes… the pain… the loneliness…"**_

She desperately avoided a billowing blast of pure energy before rushing and cutting through the torsos of twenty more soldiers in the span of ten seconds, never even bothering to see them collapse as their intestines spilled onto the grounds of the battlefield. Despite keeping herself from sustaining any more damage with her quick reflexes and speed alone, Suga could feel her spirit waning and adrenaline slowly slipping away, but her spite alone allowed her to push.

"_**You seem guarded under the guise of protecting yourself, but… you're afraid to grow attached to someone again, aren't you…? You're afraid to love, right…?"**_

With every man and woman that fell to her rapid state of empowerment, there were more to come and take their place. Suga released a scream that sounded similar to that of a wild animal roaring with passion and intensity and for an increasingly long moment, it seemed that not a single soul could even _touch _her successfully without being killed for their troubles. Every attack that came her way was parried, every single bit of movement was noticed, and her killing intent only fueled her to push her own bodily limitations to the max as her kill count quickly rose from twenty to three-hundred in the span of a minute.

"_**Do not be alarmed any longer, my sweet… we'll love you… allow us to be your family… allow us to be the one that you'll be able to depend on… you're so beautiful… let Tsubara-senpai care for you… I'll love you forever… and so will the rest of us~!"**_

However, the feeling of a harsh fist bludgeoning her back sent her spiraling across the ground, but she was able to immediately catch her footing while reaching into her holster to toss a shuriken at the poor fool responsible for the blow. The strength of her throw alone was enough to force the blade between the victim's eyes before splitting through their skull and exiting from the head.

"_**We'll love you, Hekkusukirā… we'll love you… Suga-chi…"**_

Suga fell finally, no longer supported by the fleeting energy that held her strongly before. A river of blood pooled from her mouth as most of her body was littered in grime, scars, and bruises, fully exposed by her dismantled armor.

She struggled to lift herself up, but it was completely useless. All of her more recent memories came to the forefront of her mind, overwhelming as she thought fondly of her comrades and her Queen. It was when she saw the sight of a brute standing above her with a disgustingly gleeful smile that promised evil intentions that she smiled. It was now her time to die… but she fought hard… she accomplished the mission… and she served her friends as best as she could. She would at least die happy knowing that.

"EVERYONE, QUICK, GET THE HELL DOWN—!"

_**ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAR**_

The sounds of a monumental roar reverberated throughout the battlefield and finally silenced the war-cries of her soon-to-be murderers, replacing their clamors of victory with the admittedly cathartic noise of terrified screaming. The world shook from the large disturbance and from seemingly out of nowhere, a thunderous collision caused hundreds of soldiers to fly high within the air, flailing and yelling to the top of their lungs in pure dread as a deepening rumble grew louder and louder whilst it stormed in Suga's direction. However, in contrast to the immense panic and destruction ensuing around her, Suga merely smiled in both delight and happiness.

She would live another day, for the one responsible for that monstrous roar was also capable of the most soothing of lullabies. The level of familiarity associated with it would always calm her nerves, even while she was on the brink of death. As for her enemies. Suga took no pity on them for what was about to come.

The disturbance burrowing underneath the surface of the earth brutally pillaged the terrain and sent hordes of soldiers soaring into different sectors of the dismantled environment until finally, a behemothic claw and arm broke through the surface of the ground while effectively brutalizing the legion without a care. The scales decorating the limb were a luminescent shade of jade-green and at the blink of an eye, the owner of the limb emerged from the mutilated ground as a mythical being of epic proportions.

It's size was easily around ninety feet and dwarfed absolutely everyone. Every part of the creature was akin to something out of a dark fantasy novel, with a maw filled with incredibly large and sharp teeth that gleamed within the moonlight's and reptilian eyes that sparkled with malevolent intentions. Dirt and rocks fell from their colossal claws, and the almost cosmic size of their wings expanded even further before releasing a powerful gust of wind that sent those surrounding Suga tumbling elsewhere in an inhumane heap.

Suga managed to hold herself steady amidst the powerful gust of wind that blew her tormentors and felt herself being cautiously lifted from the ground. Somehow, even whilst held in the incredibly fortified grasp of the creature, Suga had never felt more at peace and secure since the battle had begun.

"**Are you okay, Suga-darling…?" **

Despite their size, the creature maintained a maternal and feminine voice that made its lovely presence felt, filling her ear with a soothing and comforting timbre that settled into her heart and soul. Suga knew that at this moment, she couldn't muster enough energy to speak, so she opted to merely shake her head in response to the creature's question. Nodding, the dragon seemed to gift Suga with the sound of purring and a small smile spreading across her maw.

"**Don't worry, I'm going to get you out of here… you've done amazing. Tsubara-senpai will be so proud of you…"**

And in one swift motion, the creature's wings flew downwards to propel themselves high within the air, releasing an even bigger explosion of air to send the remaining soldiers away while doing so. A sense of nostalgia overwhelmed Suga in that moment, beckoning the smallest of tears to trail her cheeks due to being utterly enamoured by the presence of her comrade and the solace provided by the twinkling of stars within the night sky.

Meanwhile, a menacing glow within the eyes of the dragon intensified as she angrily gazed upon all of the carnage caused by the perpetrators of Suga's injuries. Another incredulous roar was unleashed, but there was something even more terrifying that followed. Emanating from the maw of the behemoth was a single orb of iridescent energy that slowly swelled and enlarged to an unfathomable degree, seeming as if it would rival even the size of the moon. The heat radiating from the newly-formed ball of pure power was unmatched, being felt by even the legion far below that desperately attempted to retreat the battlefield via dismantling the wall barrier that they'd trapped themselves behind.

"**I have no mercy for those that glorify bloodlust and evil for something so childish and primitive. All of this could've been avoided… if you didn't fuck with our territory and MY friends."**

And in one single moment, the orb blasted downwards in a condensed beam of light, and all that the Mokushiroku members saw before their impending doom was the wide and cheerful grins of the Hai-Hai on the other side of the barrier. They laughed and pointed, mocking them in their anguish and pitiful demise as the beam impacted the ground, continuously spreading and vaporizing everything behind the inner walls of the barrier.

For several seconds, the violent tremor that followed afterwards shook all of Osaka, causing windows to shatter, buildings to quake and teeter close to imminent destruction, and citizens throughout the city to fall and scream in pure terror.

And as quickly as the earthquake came, it all stopped once the beam finally evaporated into thin air, leaving behind a cloud of smoke that slowly polluted the entire city. As it clouded the streets and filled the unfortunate lungs of civilians, the Hai-Hai members still positioned behind the border were comically unfazed as they relished in the outcome while cheering and chanting playfully in response to their victory.

The crater that was first left by Warhead was now a thing of the past, for it was completely overtaken by the one left by the now evacuating dragon holding an unconscious Suga.

Within this newly-made solfatara laid the ashes of a thousand militia members and the withered remains of what was once a fortress, scorched and seared to the point of no return. It was almost as if it was never there in the first place. The breeding ground of the Mokushiroku was now only a fleeting memory, and one that would likely never last. All that would be remembered was its decimation by the hands of the Hai-Hai's two greatest warriors.

_Natsukawa Kyoumi - __**CODENAME: **__**Kayda**_

_**Affiliation: **__Hai-Hai Syndicate _

_**Quirk - Dragon Physiology - **__Dragon Physiology allows Kyoumi to take on the abilities and propensity of any and all forms of dragon! In addition, her Quirk includes having the physicality of one as well. However, it doesn't end there. The user can not only take on the abilities of that of regular dragons, but also any form of dragon that exists within various iterations of folklore if they wish!_

* * *

"Haru-chi, are you alright back there?! You've been mighty quiet and when you're quiet, I get the feeling that you're into shit—HARU, DO NOT EAT MY GOAT, SPIT IT OUT _RIGHT _NOW!"

A massively armoured truck with a rather futuristic edge and brightly-lit neon-lights decorating the bluish exterior took up a vast majority of the highway as it blazed throughout the now charred and dismantled countryside of Yamanashi Prefecture. Surrounding the truck were several others on motorcycles that seemed to have been taken straight out of a cyberpunk-esque universe as they encompassed the vehicle in a diamond's formation to guard it adequately.

Manning the steering wheel of the hulking truck was a vivaciously-dressed individual clad in a white bomber jacket with hues of pink, blue, and yellow decorating different parts of the garment. The cool, wintry breeze blowing in from the open window on their right side allowed their mint-green hair to softly flutter whilst their chestnut-colored eyes momentarily glared to a group of people in the back-area of the truck, beckoning a slight pout to fade into existence.

"Mou, no! Haru asked you if we could stop and eat old, middle-aged men in white coats, but you said no!" In the back-area of the truck, which seemed to be some sort of maintenance\control room, was a garbled but chirpy and youthful voice emanated from a light-blue, human-sized blob made of a viscous substance with reddish dots for eyes as the head of a greyish goat poked and screeched from their stomach area. The creature seemed to have an almost mischievous expression, somewhat resembling the look of "ÒwÓ" in some regards. "Haru knows your secrets, Anri-chi! You wanna starve Haru, and Haru will _not _let it happen!"

Anri's pout grew larger as they scoffed in response. "Is this really what this is about, Haru-chii!? Not only did we literally feed you like two tons of meat before we left the mansion, but you don't even have ghrelin in your bloodstream! Hell, you don't even have blood in general, so how are you even perceiving hunger right now!?"

Haru closed one of his eyes to wink playfully at Anri. "Even if Haru-chii knew the meaning of that gre… uuuuuh, ge… um, gherena… that first g-word, he would tell you nothing! You'll find a way to starve Haru more, so Haru will eat animal with horns on head before that happens!"

Anri clicked their teeth before focusing all of the attention on driving after hearing one of the protectors honk their horns in response to them fluttering a bit too close to the edge of the road. "I'll come back there and make jello out of you, honey! Don't think that I won't because I will! I said that I would, so I can! And it'll be raspberry-flavored because you're being a sour ass friend right now, and I'll slurp ya right up!"

"Yikes, uh, ya need to work on your phrasing there, Anri…" The shallow yet mischievous voice of a feminine figure sitting close to a rather blushed and visibly nervous Demiji chimed into the bickering. "This isn't one of your online role-plays, control those urges!"

"You know, Juna, you could be doing something helpful right about now like actually stopping my sweet little Mochi from being eaten," Anri side-eyed the orange-haired girl with a frown as she casually checked her nails with a small smirk while leaning her naked form against Demiji. "Instead of making Demi-kun so uncomfortable, please, at least offer your arm or something to Haru-chi? It's not like you won't grow it back!"

"Hehehehe… m-maybe you should do that favor for them, J-Juna-san…" Demiji continuously shuffled to make a bit of distance between himself and Juna, who promptly pulled him even closer to her whenever he got too far. "Think of it as uuuuh… oh! As um, a way of repaying me for saving you! _Also, Juna, please, I-I told you that I could fly by the mansion and have another suit made for y-you in a jiffy, I can still hug you after you get some clothes on you…"_

Juna grabbed his arm tightly, her eyes twinkling with false tears as she nuzzled Demiji pitifully. "Well, I wouldn't be able to help you, Jun, and Kiki with clearing out the rest of these losers if that were the case, Demi-kuuuun! Plus… Tsubara-senpai is.. sad and upset with me and I can't face her right now. Also, do you not…. find my body to be… attractive? Am I _that _gross to you?!"

"Y-You're not gross at all, Ju-Ju and you're 100% attract—I mean, uh! I-I-I-I-I—!" Demiji furiously rubbed the back of his own neck whilst he struggled to find the right to respond, much to the amusement of Juna. "I think you're pretty, but I—I think that's the least important thing here! Could… please just help Anri and get Haru to stop munching on Mochi, please?"

Juna hummed for several seconds before finally nodding her head while planting a small kiss on Demiji's jawline, sending the boy into an even bigger fit of blushing and stuttering as she finally loosened her grip on him. "You know what~? Since you were nice enough to be a doll and confirmed your attraction to me, I'll gladly help Mochi out! **Oi… Haru**." Her once light and sweetened voice shifted into a monotonous and loud whisper as she addressed the blob. "**Here. Have my arm, let the goat go immediately**."

Without a second thought, Haru released the goat from his body and rushed to shroud Juna's arm with intentions of consuming it. "Haru-chi loves you, Ju-chii! Thank you for feeding me!"

"Anri would like to thank you toooooo~! As a token of my gratitude and so Demi-kun doesn't have a heart attack back there, have this suit to help with ya indecency!" Prompting placing the truck into auto-drive mode, Anri energetically reached into a nearby compartment and grabbed a skintight suit radiating with a greenish glow. The suit fully resembled Juna's usual attire, with the orange neon-outlines and enhancers to match. "You're lucky that I had another on hand since I had the components needed to make you another one of these bad babies! The fibers are also now laced with a bit of your own DNA, so it'll regenerate alongside you when you get all torn up!"

_Hayashida Anri - __**CODENAME: **__**Proxy**_

_**Affiliation: **__Hai-Hai Syndicate _

_**Quirk: Tech Wiz - **__Anri can emit light green waves from the palms of his hands into any man made object! Through these waves, they gather information about any man made item they touch! It is best when paired with technology and anything with an internet connection!_

Juna used her other hand to catch the suit, smiling appreciatively while Haru made numerous noises of pure delight as Juna's arm reformed to feed him once more. "Huh, you never cease to amaze me, Anri. This is pretty neat."

Demiji, meanwhile, had his jaw drop instantly before frowning lightly at Anri. "E-Eh?! So you mean to tell me that you could've given Juna a new suit this entire time and you never said anything!?"

Anri smiled innocently in response to the boy's questioning. "Hehe, well, I needed a set-up to get Haru to spit out Mochi! Plus… it was pretty cute seeing you all flustered and stuff."

"Either that or they're just a perv and wanted to see my body a little more…" Juna quipped, eliciting Anri to cast a middle finger towards her while sticking their tongue out. "Unlike Demi-kun, who is always a proper gentleman~!"

Demiji covered his face to hide the fact that his fair skin was now as red as a tomato. However, before he could respond, the large monitor in front of him beeped and alerted of an incoming transmission. After exchanging looks with Juna, Anri, and Haru, Demiji answered the call to the sight of a young boy with darkened blue hair cut into a mushroom-esque style and large, purple eyes. "Ah, Takato!? Tacchan, you're there already!? Quick give us a quick run-down on the situation!"

Takato smiled, though there seemed to be an inkling of confusion etched upon his youthful face. "Haaaaaaai-Haaaai, Big Brother Demi-nii! Yes, I am here at the top of Mount Fuji with Kiki-nee and Jun, and we ended up finding the guy that we needed to get rid of! But…"

The truck grew quiet for several seconds, feeling an almost ominous aura present within the atmosphere. Demiji tensed before he continued. "But… what's wrong, Takato…? Is everything okay? Are you, Jun, and Kiki alright?"

"Oh, we're fine!" Takato chirped before looking visibly unnerved. "I can't say that the person we're looking for is though…. He was… huge and scary-looking too, by the way, whoever did this had to have been pretty strong."

That one line told Demiji everything that he needed to know. He looked to the rest within the truck and sighed heavily before raising the helmet of his armored suit around his head. Toggling for the head-piece option, Demiji cleared his throat before making an announcement.

"Hai-Hai… I suggest we head back to HQ… Takato, please try to capture as much evidence of the fight as you can. Someone got to the Mokushiroku leader before us…"

* * *

"_**Make yourself useful and, instead of being lazy and unkempt as you always are, get out to get some work done… you seem to forget that things have changed now, cousin~... You are one of US now. Behave like it."**_

"_Are you sure that you wish to go through with this, Young Mistress?"_

_Her sacramento-colored hair, once placed into a short ponytail, was now disheveled as a wild look was made evident within her eyes. She casted her frenzied glare to the smaller woman following in close before nodding her in confirmation._

"_I already made my mind up. Yes, I do, Hina..."_

_A slight grunt was given in response._

"_Then I'll come with you…"_

_**NEXT CHAPTER - Bad Religion!**_

* * *

**MY. GOD. This took ages, but uuuuuh, I am very proud of myself here! I genuinely feel like this chapter might be the best thing that I've ever written in my life! I actually feel content for once in my miserable little life! So yeah, besides moving and such, this chapter just came in the midst of heavy writer's block, honestly! Nevertheless, here we have it! We'll now be shifting our attention to the next gang, so thank you all for your patience and I'll see you then! Here's hoping that you guys enjoy this as much as I do!**

**ALSO! I would like to take the time to recommend a few of the stories of my good friends! Please check out **Runner-Ups **by **nerfherder-han**, **Spirits Assembly **by **Insanity's Jewel**, AND **Revolution **by **Flaming Fate Zero**, THESE GUYS ARE AMAZINGLY TALENTED AUTHORS AT THE TOP OF THEIR CLASS! PLEASE CHECK THEM OUT!**

**Ta-ta!**


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